Honoring the Life of M. Paul Redd, Sr.

WHEREAS, NAACP Gold Life Member M. Paul Redd, Sr., a Rye, New York resident, passed away on January 9, 2009; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr., known as Westchester County's Mr. NAACP, provided his time, wisdom, and money to advise, formulate, and follow through on many civic and political projects at the local, county, state and national levels impacting positive changes for the general population and specifically for African- Americans and later for other minorities and women; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr., participated actively and served the NAACP as the President of the Port Chester/Rye branch as well as other NAACP official positions most notably as Regional Director and Member-at-Large of the National Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr. was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Westchester/Putnam Affirmative Action Program that trained and placed some 4,000 predominantly African-Americans in jobs over a seven year span; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr. assisted the executive director of the Port Chester Carver Center on Traverse Avenue to develop strategies that allowed the Port Chester Carver Center Board of Directors to successfully purchase the YMCA on Westchester Avenue in its competitive bid against the Port Chester Village Board of Trustees; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr, founded the Black Democrats of Westchester (County) in the 1950's, which is still prominently active; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr. purchased with his wife and maintained the only African-American newspaper in Westchester, The County Press, which is now 101 years old; and

WHEREAS, M. Paul Redd, Sr. assisted with the formation of the Port Chester Committee for Better Government and served as advisor; and

WHEREAS, his advice and counsel assisted in the appointment of two African- American men to the Port Chester Village Board of Trustees; and

WHEREAS, the Port Chester/Rye NAACP will record his noteworthy accomplishments in its archives and future proclamations to the Port Chester/Rye communities; and

WHEREAS, the Port Chester/Rye NAACP will institute annually a M. Paul Redd, Sr. Scholarship within the Port Chester/Rye area high schools commencing June 2009.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP NATIONAL OFFICE record within its archives full recognition of M. Paul Redd's accomplishments as a NOTEWORTHY NAACP LIFE MEMBER