I may have mentioned that I volunteer for a number of non-profits around the area. One of them is the Grand Prairie Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (GP NAACP).
We recently reached out to local and area businesses and inquired about their need for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). On April 21, we handed out gloves and masks to the the businesses who, though word-of-mouth, the Facebook page or email, requested them. PPEs were also handed out to the homeless and the poor in the Dalworth neighborhood, where Chapter President Angela Luckey grew up.
As of April 21, Grand Prairie has had 109 COVID-19 cases; Dallas County (the part that Grand Prairie is in) has had 65 cases and two deaths; and Tarrant County (Grand Prairie is also part of this county) has had 44 cases and one death.
“The Grand Prairie NAACP is helping our essential business employees, healthcare workers and residents here in Grand Prairie,” said Chapter President Angela Luckey. “We are helping them to keep safe by providing them with masks and gloves. We also want to help one another find ways to ensure all people get tested for Coronavirus in Grand Prairie.”
Volunteers Phyllis Johnson and myself delivered to the businesses who reached out, as well as to homes of people who couldn’t leave their residence because of a medical condition, or whose caretaker did not have the proper protection.
Volunteer Phyllis Johnson said, “It is a privilege to be a part of an organization that focuses on helping the community, especially the minority community. To help distribute masks and gloves to small businesses in Grand Prairie, in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, was a heartwarming experience. People are in need. The recipients were so grateful for our efforts. One elderly lady stated she was grateful for the work that the NAACP is doing in the community.“
I had fun delivering to a couple of businesses. Their reactions were priceless. As we all probably know, PPEs are hard to find sometimes, or are just really expensive. Yet, they are required for many essential businesses. So the bags of gloves and masks, which any kid would hate to unwrap at Christmas, were received with relief and smiles.
Me, all decked out
ABOUT NAACP:
Founded on February 12, 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization. It has more than a half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world and are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, campaigning for equal opportunity and conducting voter mobilization.
The NAACP has been working toward racial equality ever since its inception. They operate on the belief that racial segregation and discrimination limit and diminish human potential, ultimately denying the full benefits of freedom to African Americans and other minorities. The NAACP has been at the forefront of the struggle to eliminate racial disparities in the criminal justice system for decades.
In 1925, the NAACP provided legal representation for Dr. Ossian Sweet, out of Michigan, who was facing a mob of angry white people after moving into an all-white neighborhood. When the mob attacked his home, one person perished. Dr. Sweet and his brother were charged with murder.
Famed attorney Clarence Darrow, retained by the NAACP, represented Mr. Sweet. The first trial ended in a mistrial when an all-white jury could not agree. The second trial ended in a “not guilty” verdict. This early NAACP-supported case coined the phrase, “A man’s home is his castle.”
Volunteer Phyllis Johnson (L) and Chapter President Angela Luckey get ready for PPE deliveries
The Grand Prairie Chapter of the NAACP will continue to work with their partners to bring some relief, and hopefully some smiles, to the Grand Prairie area, minority of not. “We are all inclusive,” said Luckey.
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