Press Releases

National Action Networks Launches Youth Move Page on NAN National Website As Youth Involvement at the Civil Rights Organization Increases Across the Country

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK LAUNCHES YOUTH MOVE PAGE ON NAN NATIONAL WEBSITE AS YOUTH INVOLVEMENT AT THE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION INCREASES ACROSS THE COUNTRY —

April 30, 2012 (New York, NY) Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network have launched a Youth Move page on the national website of the organization as youth involvement in the NAN continues to increase.  Many of the youth are being drawn in as part of an effort by Tamika D. Mallory, NAN’s National Executive Director, who is just 31 herself, along with Dominique Sharpton, who heads up membership for the organization and is 25-years-old.  Rev. Al Sharpton was a youth activist and established the National Youth Movement in 1971. He was active in leadership his teenage years and went on to run for Senate, Mayor of New York, and President of the Unites States. He is now grooming young people to fulfill positions of leadership in civil rights and social justice.

NAN’s Youth Move is being led by 14-year-old National Youth Director Mary Pat Hector in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Northeast Region where NAN ‘s headquarters are based is being directed by 12-year-old Victoria Pannell. Both young ladies mobilized young people during NAN’s national convention in Washington, DC and were prominent at key events featuring leaders in education and anti-violence. United States Education Secretary Arne Duncan acknowledged their efforts at a special plenary session he spoke at on April 13, 2012.

As Youth Move Director, Mary Pat Hector has been increasing membership in chapters across the country and the youth presence is a key goal area of growth the organization will continue to focus on. On a local level Mary Pat leads teen-safety workshops for schools and trains teens and college students in many areas of youth advocacy techniques. She travels an average of 4,000 miles a month speaking at high schools, colleges, conferences, woman’s events, and crisis shelters across the U.S.  She recently spearheaded the national “Shake off the Violence” Tour urging youth to put down guns.

Victoria Pannell recently led an anti-violence march in Harlem, New York as part of an effort to take back the streets from the drug dealers and gang members and has been active in the fight to save United States Post offices. She and some of the young people met with the head of the U.S. Post Office during NAN’s national convention in April and were victorious when the Senate passed an amended version of the 21st Century Postal Service Act Post that saves the majority of the Post Offices for 3-years.

Victoria is currently doing speaking engagements on homelessness, being fatherless, violence in communities, and mental health services for children.

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK YOUTH MOVE PAGE:

http://poetzinger.staging.wpengine.com/youth/