L.A.’s NAACP to Honor Cross-Section of Leaders
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LOS ANGELES — For the first time in its history, the Los Angeles chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People will honor leaders from a wide array of ethnic backgrounds at its annual dinner tonight at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the downtown Marriott Hotel.
“The NAACP has to change with the times and respond to the civil rights needs of all people of color,” said Geraldine R. Washington, the president of the Los Angeles NAACP. “We realize that Los Angeles’ demographics are continuing to evolve, so we must also evolve our traditional attitudes.”
Washington said the African American civil rights group made the choice to honor leaders from a cross-section of ethnic groups as a way to reach out and build bonds in the city.
Among those being honored are: Minnie Lopez-Baffo, president of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Political Action Committee; Xandra Kayden, president of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles; Juana Gutierrez, founder of Mothers of East Los Angeles; and Kay K. Song, associate vice president for civic and community relations at USC.
The NAACP’s lifetime achievement award will go to John Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League.
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