VSU NAACP College Chapter Wins National First Place JuvenileJustice Award

VALDOSTA -- The VSU NAACP College Chapter won first place for Juvenile Justice for the Youth and College Division at the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention in Houston, Texas this past July. Their chapter was the only Youth and College Division in the state of Georgia to receive an award. They were also the only college chapter in the NAACP that was recognized at the national convention.

“This award was a great honor for our college chapter,” said Airyagany Hall, VSU NAACP president. “To be recognized at the national level is an outstanding achievement. Even though we are young college students, this award showed that we do care about current issues and that others are proud of the hard work we do here on campus. We could not have gotten this award without our members and supporters. VSU NAACP plans to continue striving for excellence in all that we do.”

The focus of the juvenile justice initiative is to educate the youth about the justice system.
Based on their advocacy of juvenile justice rights on campus through events such as Trayvon Martin: Do We Look Suspicious forum and the vigil for Troy Davis, they have strived as an organization to inform faculty and students of current issues regarding the rights of individuals young as ourselves.

The VSU NAACP is an organization that focuses on various educational, financial, social and political issues. They currently have almost 100 members on campus and work hard to instill a family atmosphere that students can call home on campus.

For more information about the VSU NAACP, contact Hall at aihall@valdosta.edu or visit www.valdosta.collegiatelink.net/organization/naacp.