The NAACP kicked off its 2025 state convention in Cookeville Thursday.
NAACP Tennessee Branch President and Director Gloria J. Sweet-Love said, for 116 years, the NAACP has stood as a defender for civil rights, a proponent of social justice, and an advocate for equality and meaningful advancement in all aspects of life. Sweet-Love said it has never been more important than right now for the NAACP to make the call for justice and equity.
“No matter who is in the White House or the Governor’s Mansion, and what the Senate does and doesn’t do, or how highly insensitive our general assembly is in passing legislation that overlooks the needs of poor and working-class people, we must stay in the fight with a fearest urgency of now,” Sweet-Love said.
Sweet-Love said the three-day convention will connect people to resources such as healthcare. Sweet-Love also said the convention will consist of NAACP state leaders who will speak about how to move forward in the political and labor climate.
“We know unemployment rates are up, we know that we are having issues with our Medicaid, our Medicare, and all kinds of things,” Sweet-Love said.”So we come to talk about them, and to hear what people have to say, and let the experts, we’ve got expert panelists from across the state and across the U.S., a lot of them are out of town, to talk about what we do. How urgent it really is, and what we need to do, and what the average citizen needs to do to move forward.”
Sweet-Love said some people think the NAACP is just a group of people walking around with protest signs, but in reality, the NAACP advocates for others. Sweet-Love said the NAACP fights for those who need someone to fight for them.
“If you are a billionaire, you really don’t need anybody to fight for ya, you can hire somebody,” Sweet-Love said. “But if you are an everyday McDonald worker, or everyday school teacher, or everyday law enforcement person, every once in a while you have to have somebody to fight for you, and that’s what we do.”
The convention will have different forums for women, men, and college students. Sweet-Love encourages everyone to attend and be informed.
“We mean that you don’t have time to wait until next time,” Sweet-Love said. “That it’s not okay to say let them do it, it’s not okay to say oh it will be alright. I want you to know that if you don’t get involved, it won’t be an alright to be. You gotta do it, and you gotta do it now. It’s gotta happen.”
Sweet-Love said she is excited to have the convention in Cookeville this year. Sweet-Love said Cookeville has been very welcoming.
“I said we normally don’t have a billboard announcing us as we come in,” Sweet-Love said. “I said we don’t, but Cookeville outdid itself. And they are a unit that is involved in every one of our initiatives throughout the year.”
The NAACP State Convention will run from Thursday to Saturday at the Putnam County Convention Center.
