The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, State President of the NAACP, members of the State NAACP Executive Committee along with heads of progressive civil rights organizations throughout the state were hosted by Gov. Perdue in a first-of-its-kind policy discussion around issues affecting African-Americans and other minorities Monday.

The purpose of this hour and one-half meeting was to articulate the NAACP'S 14-Point Agenda on education, economics, health, labor, criminal justice, housing, etc., which is supported by 85 statewide organizations and to make specific recommendations on the administration of the Stimulus Plan to ensure that it meets Title VI requirements for contracts in the use of federal funds in an effort to make all North Carolina more prosperous.

The 14-point agenda can be found on the Internet at www.hkonj.com.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.