Los Angeles Awardees
Ernestine Peters
Ernestine Peters When the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909, its purpose was to prevent organized violence against blacks and obtain the passage of anti-lynching laws. As times have changed, the NAACP has shifted its focus to seeking equal treatment in the press, the courts, the schools, and the minds and hearts of America.
While growing up in profoundly segregated Memphis, Ernestine Barlow Peters knew firsthand the need for the NAACP. One of 10 children in a poor family, she attended a segregated school and knew empirically the definition of “discrimination.” She was still a child when she realized segregation was neither natural nor necessary. At a young age, she began her efforts on behalf of the NAACP.
Her work today includes the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards, among whose 1998 honorees were composer and producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, director Stanley Kramer, actor Dijmon Hounsou, actress Vanessa Williams and U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman.
Peters created the NAACP Affirmative Action and Diversity Career Convention, otherwise known as the NAACP Job Fair, now in its 11th year. Corporate sponsorship provides job seekers interview opportunities with the Los Angeles Police Department, DreamWorks Studios, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Los Angeles Unified School District, Aerospace Corporation, Media One, Sony Pictures and other employers. The Job Fair provides the open door to job and career opportunities.
Peters conceived and coordinated many such projects — all while also running two NAACP regional districts that encompass 16 states and two foreign countries.
She has been unceasing in her efforts to secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all people.
| Previous | Glossary of Scientology Terms | Contents | Next |
| Your view on this Scientology Website | Scientology Related Sites | Bookstore | Home page |
editor@freedommag.org © 1999-2008 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.
