Featured Stories
Home Sales Edge Higher as Affordability Challenges Persist
WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The National Association of Home Builders issued the following news release:
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Home Sales Edge Higher as Affordability Challenges Persist
Affordability challenges continued to weigh on the new-home market in June, as elevated mortgage rates, rising inflation and broader economic uncertainty kept many prospective buyers on the sidelines.
Sales of newly built single-family home rose 1.6% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 628,000, up from an upwardly revised May estimate, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The National Association of Home Builders issued the following news release:
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Home Sales Edge Higher as Affordability Challenges Persist
Affordability challenges continued to weigh on the new-home market in June, as elevated mortgage rates, rising inflation and broader economic uncertainty kept many prospective buyers on the sidelines.
Sales of newly built single-family home rose 1.6% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 628,000, up from an upwardly revised May estimate, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentand the U.S. Census Bureau. The pace of new home sales is down 5.6% from a year earlier.
"The pace of new home sales has remained constrained in recent months by elevated mortgage rates," said Bill Owens, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and remodeler from Worthington, Ohio. "Builders continue to use incentives to support sales, with NAHB survey data showing that 62% of builders offered some form of incentive in June."
"New home sales are gaining some momentum at the more affordable range of the market, with homes priced below $300,000 accounting for 23% of June sales, up from 16% a year earlier," said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. "However, that price point is generally only achievable in markets with lower development and construction costs, particularly with respect to lower state and local regulatory costs."
A new home sale occurs when a sales contract is signed, or a deposit is accepted. The home can be in any stage of construction: not yet started, under construction or completed. In addition to adjusting for seasonal effects, the June reading of 628,000 units is the number of homes that would sell if this pace continued for the next 12 months.
New single-family home inventory in June was virtually unchanged at 485,000 units, down 0.2% from May, and down 3.2% compared to a year ago. This represents an elevated 9.3 months' supply at the current building pace. According to NAHB analysis, due to rising resale single-family inventory and elevated new construction inventory, combined new and existing home inventory stands at just above a 5.2 months supply, the highest level since the fall of 2014.
The median new home sale price in June fell 3.3% from May to $398,300, and was down 2.7% from a year ago, largely due to builder price cuts and some geographic shift in mix to the more affordable Midwest.
Regionally, on a year-to-date basis, new home sales are up 2.6% in the Midwest but fell in the other three regions, with declines of 4.7% in Northeast, 4.9% in the South and 10.1% in the West.
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Original text here: https://www.nahb.org/news-and-economics/press-releases/2026/07/new-home-sales-edge-higher-as-affordability-challenges-persist
[Category: Real Estate]
Advancing Industry Leadership Through a Clear Strategic Framework
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 25 [Category: Business] -- The National Marine Manufacturers Association posted the following news release:
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Advancing Industry Leadership Through a Clear Strategic Framework
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In a period defined by economic variability, evolving consumer expectations, and a dynamic policy environment, clarity and alignment are essential.
To reinforce its direction and ensure continued focus on the priorities that matter most to members, NMMA has refined its strategic framework and introduced a new visualization that clearly connects the association's mission to its core areas
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CHICAGO, Illinois, July 25 [Category: Business] -- The National Marine Manufacturers Association posted the following news release:
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Advancing Industry Leadership Through a Clear Strategic Framework
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In a period defined by economic variability, evolving consumer expectations, and a dynamic policy environment, clarity and alignment are essential.
To reinforce its direction and ensure continued focus on the priorities that matter most to members, NMMA has refined its strategic framework and introduced a new visualization that clearly connects the association's mission to its core areasof work.
The framework provides a disciplined structure for advancing advocacy, supporting market expansion, and strengthening member engagement. It illustrates how these priorities reinforce one another, as a connected ecosystem, and position the recreational boating industry for long-term growth.
Effective advocacy strengthens business confidence and protects access. Market expansion initiatives grow participation and demand. Coordinated engagement ensures the industry's voice remains strong at the federal, state, and international levels. Together, these efforts create a unified strategy designed to deliver measurable value to manufacturers and stakeholders across the marine sector.
"This refined framework does not represent a shift in mission. Rather, it offers a clearer articulation of how NMMA is executing against that mission in today's operating environment," stated Frank Hugelmeyer, NMMA president and CEO. "As external conditions evolve, disciplined alignment ensures resources remain focused on initiatives that drive impact and support industry stability."
The strategic visualization is intended to provide transparency, reinforce shared priorities, and strengthen alignment across the association and its membership. By clearly connecting purpose to execution, NMMA is positioning the industry to navigate near-term challenges while maintaining focus on long-term opportunity.
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Original text here: https://www.nmma.org/press/article/25540
NBTA Brings Intercity Bus Industry to Capitol Hill for Inaugural Washington Fly-In
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The American Bus Association issued the following news:
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NBTA Brings Intercity Bus Industry to Capitol Hill for Inaugural Washington Fly-In
The organization's first-ever fly-in amplifies the voice of the intercity bus network within federal policymaking.
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The National Bus Traffic Association (NBTA) recently held its first-ever Washington, D.C., Fly-In, marking a significant step in expanding the voice of the nation's intercity bus network in the federal policymaking process.
Led by Fred Ferguson, CEO of the National Bus Traffic Association as well as President
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WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The American Bus Association issued the following news:
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NBTA Brings Intercity Bus Industry to Capitol Hill for Inaugural Washington Fly-In
The organization's first-ever fly-in amplifies the voice of the intercity bus network within federal policymaking.
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The National Bus Traffic Association (NBTA) recently held its first-ever Washington, D.C., Fly-In, marking a significant step in expanding the voice of the nation's intercity bus network in the federal policymaking process.
Led by Fred Ferguson, CEO of the National Bus Traffic Association as well as Presidentand CEO of the American Bus Association, and by ABA's advocacy team, industry leaders participated in several meetings with members of Congress and congressional staff. The delegation also met with FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs at U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters to discuss issues affecting scheduled intercity bus service nationwide.
The NBTA is the nation's leading organization representing the intercity bus network, bringing together more than 70 operators that provide scheduled service connecting communities across the country. The sector represents approximately $60 billion in economic activity and serves as a critical transportation option for millions of travelers each year.
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"Today's [fly-in] event demonstrates that our industry is organized, engaged, and committed to working with policymakers to strengthen scheduled bus service for the millions of people who depend on it."
- Nick Crist, Chair, NBTA
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The Fly-In reflects NBTA's growing commitment to public policy and advocacy under the leadership of NBTA Chair Nick Crist, Vice President of Operations and Safety at Adirondack Trailways. Earlier this year, the Association established its Regulatory and Legislative Subcommittee to provide focused leadership on federal policy, regulatory affairs, and industry advocacy.
"Intercity bus service is an essential part of America's transportation network, connecting rural and urban communities while providing an affordable and reliable travel option," said Nick Crist, Chair of the National Bus Traffic Association. "Today's event demonstrates that our industry is organized, engaged, and committed to working with policymakers to strengthen scheduled bus service for the millions of people who depend on it."
"NBTA has long been the operational backbone of the intercity bus industry, and today we took an important step in becoming a stronger advocacy voice as well," said Ferguson. "By bringing operators directly to Capitol Hill and the Department of Transportation, we're ensuring that federal policymakers better understand the value of scheduled bus service and the importance of policies that help our industry grow."
NBTA plans to continue expanding its advocacy efforts through regular engagement with Congress, federal agencies, and industry stakeholders as it advances policies that support a safe, reliable, and financially sustainable intercity bus network.
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Original text here: https://www.buses.org/news/nbta-brings-intercity-bus-industry-to-capitol-hill-for-inaugural-washington-fly-in/
[Category: Transportation]
Maryland StellarXplorers Team Gets Inside Look at Real Space Force Mission
ARLINGTON, Virginia, July 24 [Category: National Defense] -- The Air and Space Forces Association posted the following news release:
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Maryland StellarXplorers Team Gets Inside Look at Real Space Force Mission
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A competition scenario about protecting astronauts from hazardous space weather, assigned to a team of Maryland high school students, became the chance of a lifetime this spring, thanks to a Space Force colonel with a real connection to their mission.
The "Buzz Back" team from Great Mills High School-located in southern Maryland-placed second in the 2026 StellarXplorers National
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, July 24 [Category: National Defense] -- The Air and Space Forces Association posted the following news release:
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Maryland StellarXplorers Team Gets Inside Look at Real Space Force Mission
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A competition scenario about protecting astronauts from hazardous space weather, assigned to a team of Maryland high school students, became the chance of a lifetime this spring, thanks to a Space Force colonel with a real connection to their mission.
The "Buzz Back" team from Great Mills High School-located in southern Maryland-placed second in the 2026 StellarXplorers NationalSpace Design Competition held in Denver. A judge for the competition, Col. Barry Croker, commander of the Space Force's Mission Delta 2, recognized the mission's connection to a real facility: a satellite downlink jointly operated by the Delta's 19th Space Defense Squadron (19 SDS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about an hour from their school. Weeks later, he arranged for the students to see the facility in person.
StellarXplorers is a national STEM program created by the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) after a September 2014 request from the Secretary of the Air Force. It challenges high school and middle school teams to design solutions to realistic space scenarios aimed at inspiring interest in aerospace and other STEM disciplines the program describes as critical. Teams, which range from two to six students, compete in three online qualifying rounds and a semifinal round, with the top 10 advancing to an in-person National Finals Competition.
Each round builds on the last and challenges students with different aspects of space design and mission planning. Students start with orbit selection, then move to satellite design-balancing payload weight, capability, and cost-followed by launch operations, where teams choose a rocket based on cost and performance. The semifinal round combines two of these disciplines, while the National Finals bring all three together in one final mission.
The students of the Great Mills Buzz Back team have competed together since their sophomore year, when they first qualified for the StellarXplorers finals and ultimately placed fourth. Buzz Back coach Allen Skinner, a physics teacher at Great Mills High School, noted the team's debut was unusually strong. In their final year, the students returned to the finals with hopes of claiming the national title.
During the final competition round, the mission called for a relay satellite in deep space, oriented toward the sun, to detect hazardous space weather. The Buzz Back students had to choose an orbital regime for the satellite, select the sensors and instruments needed to maximize its effectiveness, and determine how to communicate that data back to earth. In addition, they had to select a rocket to place the relay satellite into their selected orbit, balancing mass and cost elements.
The satellite's data was then relayed to a ground station, which facilitated the analysis and communication of that information to protect simulated astronauts stationed on the lunar surface.
Croker, who judged the team's presentation, praised the fidelity of the students' reasoning to the work real space operators do every day. "It was very realistic, down to the calculations, trading off satellite performance against the cost of launch and component performance," he said.
Another aspect of the team's presentation stood out to Croker, who also judged the leadership and process portions of the competition. In their closing remarks, a few Buzz Back members spoke directly about their school's reputation-one shaped, they said, by negative news coverage of past incidents at the school-and told the judges they wanted Great Mills to be known instead for the achievement of its students.
After the competition concluded, and the Buzz Back team returned to Great Mills with a second-place award, the moment stuck with Croker-especially the unintentional overlap between the students' mission and the real-life work he oversees at a facility in Suitland, Md. "This is interesting that I'm here and I'm doing this," Croker recalled thinking. "Let's see if we can try to get an opportunity for these kids... to bring them to the site at Suitland and just show them what it's like in real life."
In the weeks that followed, Croker connected his squadron commander with Skinner to arrange for the Great Mills team to visit the facility.
The site, known as the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility, is where NOAA manages and directs the operations of its fleet of environmental and weather-monitoring satellites, including receiving downlinks from them. NOAA staff work alongside Space Force personnel assigned to Mission Delta 2's 19th Space Defense Squadron, Operating Location Alpha (OL-A), who partner with NOAA to operate the Space Force's own space weather monitoring satellites and coordinate weather data for use by the military.
When the students arrived at the facility, Paige Dodson, a mission support specialist with 19 SDS OL-A, gave them an overview of its mission before staff from NOAA briefed the group on the agency's side of the operation.
The students and staff engaged enthusiastically during the briefing, and as Skinner described it, the preparation and genuine interest the staff showed in explaining their day-to-day work made the students feel "really, really special."
Once the briefing concluded, staff raised a screen on one side of the conference room to reveal the facility's operations floor below. The Great Mills students, who included the school's other teams besides just the Buzz Back students, erupted at the sight. "It was awesome-all these gasps right from the kids," Skinner said.
While Space Force and NOAA staff couldn't tour the students around the operations floor they'd seen from the conference room, they took the group up to the roof for a view of the facility. There, NOAA and the Space Force house a series of satellite dishes, including four 9.1-meter antennas the Operations Facility uses to communicate with NOAA's geostationary weather satellites-and, from that height, a view of the Washington Monument in the distance.
The group posed for a photo before heading down, joining staff for cake to celebrate what OL-A, the Space Force detachment at NSOF, called its "4th Solar Return"-its term for the unit's anniversary, marking four years since the detachment transitioned from an all-military team to its current civilian-led structure.
Dodson said the students' knowledge of the subject matter stood out to her. "They had so much knowledge," she said. "I'm not a subject matter expert, but I think they taught me more than I could teach them."
As the Great Mills teams began to depart, the facility staff floated an idea to Skinner-turning the visit into an annual tradition, which he called an "awesome" opportunity for the StellarXplorers students he leads each year. Dodson said OL-A would welcome the chance to host Great Mills, or any other StellarXplorers team, again in the future.
While for Croker, the connection between the Great Mills team's mission and his own unit's work was serendipitous, he hopes it could be the start of a larger collaboration between StellarXplorers and the Space Force.
"If I were king for a day, I'd love to see this become more of a normal thing," Croker said. "Say next year's scenario is based on GPS-the commander over GPS could be intimately involved and have that same opportunity to give students exposure to what they do day to day."
Croker added that he plans to introduce StellarXplorers to his peer commanders, pointing to its impact on students as a reason others should get involved.
The impact StellarXplorers has on the students who take part in its program is readily apparent in the Buzz Back team. Each of the team's six seniors is pursuing a different STEM path after graduation, ranging from nuclear and computer engineering, to medicine, and, in the case of team member Aiden Brickner, a career as an Air Force pilot.
"StellarXplorers has taught me how to rebound from failure and turn setbacks into motivation," Brickner said. "That resilience and mindset have impacted me far beyond the competition and shaped how I approach challenges in academics and engineering."
Skinner, who has led StellarXplorers teams at Great Mills for nearly a decade, said that kind of growth is exactly what the program is designed to produce: "StellarXplorers provides authentic, challenging problem solving in space science. I am always impressed with the quality and creativity of the problems provided and appreciate the connection to space science that I cannot find anywhere else."
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Original text here: https://www.afa.org/stellarxplorers-team-tours-noaa-facility/
IFPA Names Erik Larsen to Drive Traceability, Data, and Industry Standards
WASHINGTON, July 24 [Category: Food/Beverage] -- The International Fresh Produce Association posted the following news release:
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IFPA Names Erik Larsen to Drive Traceability, Data, and Industry Standards
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WASHINGTON - The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is deepening its focus on the future of the fresh produce supply chain, with Director of Supply Chain Erik Larsen leading the charge on the priorities that matter most to members: traceability, data sharing, and the modernization of industry standards.
Larsen's mandate is straightforward; position IFPA and its members
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 24 [Category: Food/Beverage] -- The International Fresh Produce Association posted the following news release:
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IFPA Names Erik Larsen to Drive Traceability, Data, and Industry Standards
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WASHINGTON - The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is deepening its focus on the future of the fresh produce supply chain, with Director of Supply Chain Erik Larsen leading the charge on the priorities that matter most to members: traceability, data sharing, and the modernization of industry standards.
Larsen's mandate is straightforward; position IFPA and its membersat the forefront of a supply chain that is faster, more transparent, and more resilient. Drawing on a background rooted in information technology and operations, Larsen brings a data-first lens to challenges that have long defined the industry.
"The supply chain of the future starts with data," said Larsen. "Being able to share data between trading partners throughout the supply chain, building trust, and improving visibility-those are the things we really need to work on, along with developing standards. The real value this brings to our membership is increased consumer trust, greater profitability through reduced waste, and a positive impact on sustainability."
Turning FSMA 204 into an Industry Opportunity
Central to Larsen's work is helping members navigate FSMA 204, the FDA's food traceability rule and the latest iteration of a modernization effort that traces back to the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 and the Produce Traceability Initiative. While enforcement has been extended to January 2028, Larsen is clear that the urgency has not diminished.
"Even though the enforcement date has been pushed back, the leading retailers have been busy planning for compliance, recognizing that this is a significant operational challenge that needs to be carefully implemented without significantly affecting operations, " Larsen explained. "Our supply community is becoming more aware of this and now realizing the urgency around it."
Larsen frames the digitization at the heart of FSMA 204 as a competitive advantage rather than a compliance burden. Where investigations today can take the FDA roughly 35 days, slowed by paperwork and manual records, full digitization could shrink that to as few as five days, enabling faster response and, critically, narrower recall scopes.
The Business Case for Traceability
For Larsen, traceability is ultimately a business story, not just a food-safety one. "From a business standpoint, it's about reducing the scope of a recall," he said. "If you have effective traceability in place, you can say confidently, 'we only need to recall this amount of produce'-not what we're doing today. That is going to be a huge return on investment for the industry."
He points to solutions such as the Warehouse Management System lot probability model as pragmatic stepping stones toward 100% accurate traceability: imperfect, but a meaningful move in the right direction for an industry operating on notoriously thin margins.
A Broader Vision
Larsen sees traceability, industry collaboration, data standards, and supply-chain visibility as connective tissue across IFPA's work, intersecting with sustainability, packaging, government relations, food safety, and education. A particular priority is ensuring that mid-to-small growers can continue to trade profitably as new technology and policy reshape the industry.
"This is about aligning closely with our member expectations," Larsen said. "New technologies and policy are moving quickly, and it's important that we're moving forward with them, together."
IFPA will continue to spotlight Larsen's work as part of a broader content strategy designed to elevate member expertise and reassert the association's leadership across the produce and floral supply chain.
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Original text here: https://www.freshproduce.com/who-we-are/press-center/2026/ifpa-names-erik-larsen-to-drive-traceability-data-and-industry-standards/
Biosimilars Council and AAM Applaud Senate Markup and Committee Passage of the Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Association for Accessible Medicines issued the following news release:
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Biosimilars Council and AAM Applaud Senate Markup and Committee Passage of the Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act
Legislation codifies FDA's science-based approach to biosimilar review by limiting comparative efficacy studies; Introduced and Passed House Committee This Week
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The Biosimilars Council and the Association for Accessible Medicines today thanked the Senate HELP Committee for marking up and passing the Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act. This legislation will codify FDA's science-based
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Association for Accessible Medicines issued the following news release:
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Biosimilars Council and AAM Applaud Senate Markup and Committee Passage of the Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act
Legislation codifies FDA's science-based approach to biosimilar review by limiting comparative efficacy studies; Introduced and Passed House Committee This Week
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The Biosimilars Council and the Association for Accessible Medicines today thanked the Senate HELP Committee for marking up and passing the Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act. This legislation will codify FDA's science-basedapproach to biosimilar review by limiting comparative efficacy studies. AAM and the Biosimilars Council have long called for clarifications in the current guidance and seek faster, more efficient comparative methods. The Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act will reduce the costs and risks of biosimilar development and encourage industry investment in biosimilars.
"Legacy regulations can often outlive their usefulness," said John Murphy III, President and CEO of AAM. "Outdated and less effective clinical studies waste time, slow approvals, and ultimately cost American patients more money. We are thankful to Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire for their leadership and focus on cutting costs for patients, and we appreciate the FDA for their continued and persistent work on this issue."
Similar legislation was passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, sponsored by Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) and Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08). The Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act is now ready for a vote in the full Senate as well as the full House of Representatives.
"Comparative efficacy studies are rarely necessary to demonstrate biosimilarity, and eliminating unnecessary comparative efficacy studies isn't just good science --it brings patients more affordable biosimilar options, faster," said Alex Keeton, Executive Director of the Biosimilars Council. "The science is clear when it comes to utilizing clinical data."
The Biosimilars Council and AAM have long supported eliminating unnecessary comparative clinical efficacy studies. Doing so will reduce unnecessary development costs and risks while encouraging greater biosimilar competition. Comparative efficacy studies should be the exception rather than a generally applied rule and explain the limited circumstances in which they might be scientifically justified. FDA rightly codified discouraging comparative efficacy studies when analytical, functional, and PK methodologies are sufficient to detect clinically meaningful differences.
The Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act will codify FDA's guidance into law to ensure that the approval process is updated, safe, and predictable.
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About AAM
The Association for Accessible Medicines, your generics and biosimilars industry, is driven by the belief that access to safe, quality, effective medicine has a tremendous impact on a person's life and the world around them. AAM represents the manufacturers of finished generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars, manufacturers of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals, and suppliers of other goods and services to the generic industry. Generic pharmaceuticals are 90 percent of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. but only 12 percent of total drug spending.
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About the Biosimilars Council
The Biosimilars Council, a division of the Association for Accessible Medicines, works to ensure a positive environment for patient access to biosimilar medicines. The Biosimilars Council is the leading source for information about the safety and efficacy of more affordable alternatives to costly brand biologic medicines. Areas of focus include public and health expert education, government affairs, legal affairs, and regulatory policy. More information is available at www.biosimilarscouncil.org.
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Original text here: https://accessiblemeds.org/resources/press-releases/senate-passage-expedited-access-biosimilars-act/
[Category: Pharmaceuticals]
117th NAACP National Convention Ends in Chicago, Mobilizing Thousands Under the Theme "We, The People"
WASHINGTON, July 24 [Category: Political] -- The NAACP posted the following news release:
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117th NAACP National Convention Ends in Chicago, Mobilizing Thousands Under the Theme "We, The People"
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July 24, 2026
Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org
CHICAGO -The 117th NAACP National Convention ends in Chicago, after bringing together civil rights advocates, community organizers, youth leaders, policymakers, and industry pioneers from across the nation. Held under the theme "We, The People," the five-day gathering served as a powerful call to action on civic engagement, civil rights
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 24 [Category: Political] -- The NAACP posted the following news release:
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117th NAACP National Convention Ends in Chicago, Mobilizing Thousands Under the Theme "We, The People"
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July 24, 2026
Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org
CHICAGO -The 117th NAACP National Convention ends in Chicago, after bringing together civil rights advocates, community organizers, youth leaders, policymakers, and industry pioneers from across the nation. Held under the theme "We, The People," the five-day gathering served as a powerful call to action on civic engagement, civil rightsprotection, environmental justice, and economic equity.
Throughout the convention, thousands of attendees engaged in panels, planning sessions, mainstage discussions, and setting the Association's policies focused on addressing systemic inequities, defending democracy, and advancing opportunities for Black communities.
Notable guests include Don Lemon, award-winning journalist and J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois. Featured guests also include actor Michael Rainey, Jr., 4x NBA Champion and MVP Andre Igoudala, journalist Jemele Hill, actor Morris Chestnut, actor Billy Porter, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, activist Angela Rye, rapper and song-writer G Herbo, Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, Beyond The Gates stars Clifton Davis and Brandon Claybon, artist BJ the Chicago Kid, content creators Atiya Walcott and Jaz Turner, and more.
Photos and video of the NAACP are available with credit to NAACP.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson shared the following statement during his remarks at the Opening Mass Meeting :
"All roads lead to November. There is nothing more important than this convening as we prepare to have an impact at the polls because November is the destination. As we do our work as an association, it is important for us to see us - our light, our power. Because we are once again being called to save this democracy.
"A democracy that has not always been kind to us. A democracy that has always worked to figure out how to go around us. That has preferred to circulate capital control to exploit us. And yet we are here at this place as the most loyal and dedicated citizens this country has ever seen."
The 117th National Convention highlighted several pivotal policy areas and community initiatives:
* Civic Engagement & Policy Resolutions: Delegates voted on policy resolutions that will frame the NAACP's national advocacy agenda, with a focus on voting rights protection, education equity, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice. During the Democracy Summit, the NAACP civic engagement team led sessions on the importance of getting out the vote in the midterm elections.
* The Hub & Economic Empowerment: Serving as a central feature of the convention, The Hub highlighted Black-owned businesses, technology innovation, financial literacy, and community health initiatives.
* Youth Leadership & Innovation: Youth scholars and creatives showcased their achievements during the national finals of the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) and Youth and College advocates addressed food insecurity in the city of Chicago with the Day of Service.
* Marquee Events: Delegates gathered for signature proceedings, including the Charles Hamilton Houston Legal Advocacy Training Institute, which featured some of our nation's most revered Attorneys General, and the annual Spingarn Medal presentation, the highest honor of the NAACP which was awarded to Rev. Dr. Amos Brown. Tutored by Medgar Evers, Benjamin Mays, Samuel Williams, J. Pious Barbour, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (as one of the eight students in the only class Dr. King taught in his lifetime at Morehouse College), Dr. Brown is known among World leaders, presidents, celebrities, and academicians alike for his trademark activism, intellectual discipline, and masterful oratory.
"Illinois is proud to welcome the NAACP and thousands of its members, allies, and leaders to Chicago," said Governor JB Pritzker. "At a moment when the right to vote and the promise of equal representation are under attack, the NAACP's courage and leadership has never been more important. The theme 'We, the People' is a reminder that our democracy only lives up to its promise when every voice is heard, especially those that have been systematically silenced and Illinois stands with the NAACP in that fight."
The 117th NAACP National Convention is proudly sponsored by: City of Chicago, Amazon, American Airlines, Bank of America, Ford Philanthropy, JPMorganChase, Airbnb, Sanofi, State Farm, Wells Fargo, The Coca-Cola Company, Denny's, McDonald's, Walmart, ASAP 340b Coalition, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CFTFK), Comcast NBCUniversal, CVS Health, Earthjustice, FedEx, MGM Resorts International, Navy Federal Credit Union, Novartis, Pfizer, Travere Therapeutics, American Red Cross, Bally's Chicago, Caesars Entertainment, Center for Responsible Lending, Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Choose Chicago, Coco5, Havas, Marriott, REACH Beyond Solutions, Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Starz Entertainment, Walden Haren & Williams LLP, WellWithAll, WilmerHale, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFCSME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Postal Workers Union (APWU), Communications Workers of America Union (CWA), International Association of Machinists and Workers (IAMAW), Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), UNITE HERE!, United Auto Workers (UAW), and United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
To watch our sessions from the 117th NAACP National Convention, visit @naacp on YouTube.
About NAACP
The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund - also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.
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Original text here: https://naacp.org/articles/117th-naacp-national-convention-ends-chicago-mobilizing-thousands-under-theme-we-people
