Feb. 16, 2010
Poet Lucille Clifton, former St. Mary’s College of Maryland professor of humanities and Maryland poet laureate, died unexpectedly, Saturday, February 13, from a bacterial infection. Among many awards over her life, the poet, who was 73, received the National Book Award in poetry in 2000 for her collection of poems, Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems, 1988-2000 (BOA Editions). She received an Emmy and was the only poet to have won two Pulitzer nominations.  Read More

Jan. 18, 2010
The Sixth Annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast - This year’s prayer breakfast features William Yoast, a high school football coach whose story was part of the 2000 blockbuster hit, “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington. Yoast, who is white, served as assistant coach alongside head coach Herman Boone, who is black, in the early 1970s when T.C. Williams High School was first integrated. Read More

Jan. 8, 2010
Community Nominations Sought for First Annual MLK Jr. “Realizing the Dream” Awards Presented Jan. 18 -
St. Mary’s  College of Maryland (SMCM) is accepting nominations for the first Martin Luther King, Jr. "Realizing the Dream" awards. The awards will honor four St. Mary’s County residents who embody exemplary character as described in King's “I Have a Dream” speech, and who have made significant contributions to their communities. Read More

Nov. 15, 2009
Concert: From the Planets to the Plains includes Orchestral Suite and Folk Songs - The St. Mary’s College Orchestra looks to the heavens and the American prairies for its music choices for a concert conducted by music director Jeffrey Silberschlag, the free public concert will include British composer Gustav Holst’s The Planets, an orchestral suite inspired by Holst’s fascination with astrology; and Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid, which incorporates folk songs as it follows the life of the famous outlaw. Read More

The 2009 Survey of Highway Safety Issues
With the support from the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration and the Maryland Highway Safety Office, the Department of Public and Community Health of The University of Maryland has developed the “Monitoring the Future of Maryland: A Survey of Highway Safety Issues.” The purpose of this survey is to collect public opinions on Maryland traffic issues such as traffic concerns, drunken driving problems, knowledge of traffic safety issues, etc. Read More

October 24, 2009
Annual Freedom Fund Gala (Photos) - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People St. Mary's County Branch celebrated its Annual Freedom Fund Gala at the J.T. Daugherty Conference Center in Lexington Park. With more than 140 guests in attendance this event raise over $5,000 in donations and sponsorships. Read More

October 24, 2009
NAACP: 100 Years - Bold Dreams, Big Victories (Event Flyer) - The St. Mary's County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) cordially invites you to join us at our 2009 Freedom Fund Gala Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP. Read More

October 15, 2009
Literary Activist and Poet E. Ethelbert Miller to Read from his Work as Part of VOICES Reading Series at SMCM - Poet, author, and literary activist, E. Ethelbert Miller will read from his work at the next St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) annual VOICES Reading series at 8:15 p.m. Thursday, October 15, 2009, at the Daugherty-Palmer Commons. Often heard on National Public Radio, Miller is chair for the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C. Since 1974, Miller has also been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University. The reading is free and open to the public. Read More

September 28, 2009
“Beyond the Shouts: A Discussion of Health Reform in America”  - Panel of Policy Experts Answers Community’s Questions
Press Release #09-183
(St. Mary’s City, MD) — Everyone − from Congress to drug and insurance companies to providers and patients − has an opinion on health care reform. St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) will bring together a panel of policy experts to offer their take on the heated debate and answer community questions. “Beyond the Shouts: A Discussion of Health Reform in America” will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, September 28, 2009, at Daugherty-Palmer Commons on the college campus. "At some point, we need to stop shouting and start talking, start listening,” said Todd Eberly, assistant political science professor and coordinator of Public Policy Studies. “Health reform will affect every American; we all have a stake in this debate." Read More

July 23, 2009
State NAACP Harnesses Cell Phone Power to Launch New High Tech "Rapid Responder System" to Help Citizen's Report Police Misconduct [Read More]

June 1, 2009
St. Mary’s College of Maryland professor Merideth Taylor has produced a documentary film on the desegregation of Great Mills High School that will premiere in the high school’s auditorium on June 18 at 7p.m. “With All Deliberate Speed: One High School’s Story,” will run about one hour and give voice to those who experienced the desegregation process at Great Mills High School between 1958 and 1972. Read More

March 23, 2009
Dr. James A. Forrest, Sr
April 15, 1911 - March 23, 2009

Dr Forrest was a charter member of the St. Mary's County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was active in his home parish, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church, Leonardtown, Maryland, as a Eucharistic Minister, Parish Council Education Committee and a member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society and the Knights of St. Jerome. A widely respected figure in Southern Maryland for the better part of a century, Dr. Forrest not only worked for the good of the African-American community but for peaceful relations and better understanding between the black and white communities.

It was through his children that his involvement with schools and education became a passion in his life. He was a member of the Cardinal Gibbons Institute Foundation Board. He played a key role in the desegregation of St. Mary's County public schools in the mid-60s. Because of his role in the constitutional action, he was appointed by then-governor, Marvin Mandel, to the St. Mary's County Board of Education and later became the first African-American to serve as its president. Under his leadership, several new high schools, middle and elementary schools were constructed including the Career and Technology Center which now bears his name (Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center). For many years, he anonymously gave scholarships to African-American youth in St. Mary's County.

The Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center
Photo courtesy of St. Mary's County Schools

March 10, 2009
Former President of NAACP and Maryland Congressman Kweise Mfume to Deliver Lecture
Former Maryland Congressman and president of the NAACP Kweise Mfume will deliver the annual Carter G. Woodson Lecture on March 10 at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). The talk, titled "Racism, Sexism and Anti-Semitism (Old Wine in New Bottles)." Read More

January 28, 2009
St. Mary’s County NAACP receives U. S. Congress and U. S. Senate Concurrent Resolution honoring NAACP's 100th Anniversary Read More

November 19, 2008
Wayne Scriber Chosen President
Leonardtown, November 19 - In a decisive vote (23-15), local members elected retired Maryland trooper Wayne Scriber to head the St. Mary's County Branch of the NAACP. Scriber will be sworn into office in January and his two-year term will expire December 2010.

July 8, 2008
Governor Signs Expanded Medical Coverage Bill
Governor O'Mally signed into law Senate Bill 6 Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act, which expands Medical Assistance eligibility to parents with dependent children and other families caring for children with incomes up to 116% of the Federal Poverty Level or about $20,500 annually for a family of three. Read the publication pdf 2mb

February 27, 2008
Sheriff and NAACP Sign Memorandum of Understanding
Sheriff Tim Cameron and St. Mary's NAACP President William "Nace" Bowman sign the Memorandum of Understanding while Tim Johnson of the Department of Justice Community Relations Services looks on.
In an effort to build a legacy of mutual cooperation and concern, the St. Mary's County NAACP and the St. Mary's County Sheriff Office enter into this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Read the Entire MOU

September 1, 2006
BRANCH MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE
The goal is the "elimination the achievement gap" according to new Superintendent of Public Schools, Dr. Michael Martirano. "Not the closing of the gap -- but the elimination." Read More

April 5, 2006
NAACP Wins Heritage Recognitions
The St. Mary's County Board of Education in collaboration with the local Branch of the NAACP held a dedication ceremony in order to recognize significant contributions made by African Americans to the public schools. Read More

NEWSLETTERS
Summer 2008