MANSFIELD — The new president of the Mansfield chapter of the NAACP made a call for unity on Monday.
“I just ask all of you to support this organization and to support me because we need help. We have to be unified. We can’t be separated,” said Mansfeld resident and business owner Ron Moton.
Richland County Common Pleas Court Judge Phil Naumoff administered the oath to Moton and six others to the NAACP Mansfield Unit 3190 on Monday evening at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC).
Those sworn in included Geneva Smith, second vice president; Eugene Clemons, third vice president; Carla James, secretary; Cynthia Antoinette Daley, treasurer; Alverta Williams, assistant treasurer; and Winston Greene as a member of the executive committee.
Other members of the executive committee include Terri Winnick, Betty Harris, Sallie Sylvester, DeMarrio Palmer and Wayne McDowell.
“I have been involved in NAACP off and on since I was 18 years of age,” Moton said. “I held office on the executive board four years ago.”
Moton also has investigated complaints brought to the organization. He is the owner and operator of the King of Ribs Bar-B-Que. His concession stand operates in the Lowes parking lot in Ontario six months out of the year.
In his new role, Moton hopes to have a unifying effect on the organization and the community. Specifically, he’d like to bring churches together, but ultimately, he’d like to see the city itself become more unified.
He and other members of the organization emphasized that the NAACP is an organization for all people.
“We want to really focus on getting that word out there. That it’s going to take all races to achieve our goals,” said James, entering her second term as secretary.
James also expressed intentions to plan educational Black History Month activities, such as an essay or drawing contest.
The NAACP’s national mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
The Mansfield chapter’s local mission is to strive for equality within Mansfield, to seek to increase economic equity and improve the quality of life for all residents. This includes goals to increase voter registration and to continue educating the community on issues that affect them, while empowering them to make lasting change.
