Commonwealth of Virginia

The Virginia NAACP has sued the Commonwealth of Virginia and its Governor Tim Kaine over fears of a lack of preparation for the upcoming election. The suit alleges that with a record voter turnout predicted for the November 4th Presidential election, the state has not provided enough polling locations for residents to cast their votes. The state chapter of the NAACP contended that the lack of polling places, particularly in districts with large African American populations, who are expected to come out in full force this year, violates the Virginia state Constitution, the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The lawsuit asks the judge to rule for more voting machines in Virginia precincts in order to cut waiting times down to less than 45 minutes for voters, and should the wait exceed 45 minutes, for the passing out of paper ballots for those in line to cast their votes with. It also asks for an extension in the voting day, pushing the poll closing time back to 9:00PM from its current time of 7:00PM.

Read the rest of this entry »

NAACP Image Awards, Academy Awards, Grammy’s are nothing new to the actor/activists Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. But for the first time ever, the dynamic duo win my Valiant Valentine Award. Valentine’s Day Week, kicked off my Valentine’s week-long series on the 5 coolest activist couples. I honored activist & actor Susan Sarandon and her partner, activist, actor & director Tim Robbins with a VVA, that’s a Valiant Valentine Award, for those of you just tuning in. Now I’m awarding another VVA to a couple who have shown their love for each other and for civil rights, human rights, and peace. And the award goes to…

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were not only award-winning and distinguished actors, but social change-winning and distinguished civil rights activists. The couple, married for 56 years, won NAACP Image Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was honored by the Kennedy Center, not only for their roles on stage and screen, but for their roles as trailblazers who opened the door for so many black actors who came after them.

Read the rest of this entry »