From the VA NAACP:
Virginia NAACP Statement on the Office of the Attorney General’s Oliver Hill Externship Program
RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia State Conference NAACP (Virginia NAACP) is outraged with Attorney General Jason S. Miyares and the Office of the Attorney General for establishing an externship program using the name of Virginia’s Civil Rights icon Oliver W. Hill, Esq.
Mr. Hill’s established record of fighting for racial equality and justice is well documented throughout Virginia and because of his valiant fight, racial desegregation in education was made illegal.
Attorney General Jason S. Miyares has proven that civil rights is not a priority by gutting the Civil Rights Division immediately upon taking office. Virginia’s long history of systemic racial discrimination requires a strong civil rights division within the Office of the Attorney General.
President Robert N. Barnette, president of the Virginia NAACP states, “The Attorney General has actively worked to undermine key provisions of the Civil Rights Act and defended flagrant attempts to roll back civil rights. But, to the contrary, the AG’s record places him alongside a coterie of Trump followers with a demonstrated hostility to civil rights. The Attorney General should take seriously his obligation to guard the integrity of the work of Oliver W. Hill and cease to name this program after this civil rights icon. Mr. Hill’s legacy as a civil rights leader and his service to our country must not be exploited and misused in this manner.”
The Virginia NAACP has pledged that it will not stand silently by while the Attorney General attempts to use the name of Oliver W. Hill to fool Virginians into believing he walks in step with the ideals that guided the life and career of Attorney Oliver Hill. The Virginia NAACP will continue its fight to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.
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ABOUT THE VIRGINIA NAACP
Founded in 1935, the Virginia State Conference of NAACP Branches (Virginia NAACP) is the oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization in the Commonwealth, overseeing over 100 NAACP branches, youth councils, and college chapters. The Virginia NAACP is the preeminent voice of Black Virginians and advocates for policies and programs to benefit Black people and people of color. You can read more about the Virginia NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting NAACPVA.org
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