State of the Union with Kevin Myles NAACP

It's been a big couple of weeks in politics in the US. There's beenTrump's State of the Union address and his 'Oprah Moment' as Donald puts it. He's survived an Impeachment and emerged triumphant from the ordeal. And there was the shamozzle that was the Iowa Caucus, where an app that appears to be Shadow by name and shady by naturepretty much screwed any chance of a victor being crowned in time to take advantage of the news cycle. Depending on if you're a glass half full or empty person, it was either the Bernie Blackout machine in full spin cycle, or simply a display of a quaint but outdated and unrepresentative caucus process in a blindingly white state that no-one really pays much attention to in terms of results. Hmmm...

Our special guest is Kevin Myles from the NAACP - the biggest civil rights organisation in the US, which has a history of supporting people of all colours and creeds to overcome oppression at the local level for more than 100 years. Kevin doesn't hold back on giving us his take on the current state of play in American politics and the moment and why the work of committed volunteers staffing his organisation in every community across the country is more important than ever.

Despite Donald's valiant attempts, he won't give up his preferred candidate for the Democratic Party, but he's on a mission to ensure that votes of all colours and persuasions are motivated and mobilised to participate in this year's election.

In an exciting twist, his Mensa membership (exceptionally high IQ) bestows Greenland with its first-ever 'cuss' word, which is both absolutely thrilling and also mildly terrifying, as in, do we need to tick the 'explicit content' warning box for this episode? Goshdarnit Kevin!

Jim from the States also wrote in with a question for our 'Mail segment'. It's one for Diana this time, wanting to know what the hell 'freelance writer' means, which is something Diana has been trying to work out herself for approximately 15 years...

Diana’s published articles in The Australian, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC online can mostly be found here.She also founded and is director of Resonance Communications, which provides strategic and creative communication services to clients in the government, corporate and non-profit sectors.

About our special guest, Kevin Myles

Kevin currently serves as the Southeast Regional Field Director for the NAACP, providing training, guidance, and assistance to more than 600 active units throughout the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. During his tenure on the National Staff, Kevin has also served as the Mid-Western Regional Field Director, and a term as the Interim National Field Director. As a member of the National Field Team, Kevin has played an integral role in the development and execution of several National campaigns for justice, including the campaigns for Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, National and State level ‘Stand Your Ground’ Legislative reform efforts, the March on Washington, and the 1,002 mile America’s Journey for Justice march for Voting Rights, to name a few.

Prior to joining the National Staff, Kevin served as President of the Kansas State Conference of the NAACP, and served 9 years as the President of the Wichita Branch NAACP where he was the recipient of 8 National Thalheimer Awards for outstanding NAACP unit activity. He has also served as a member of the NAACP’s National Leadership 500 Planning Committee, and as a member of the NAACP’s National Political and Legislative Action Committee.

In addition to his work with the NAACP, Kevin is an active member of the American Mensa high IQ society. Kevin served 5 terms as President of the Wichita Kansas Chapter of Mensa, served as a Regional Director for American Mensa, and as a member of the American Mensa National Board of Directors.

Described by the late Dr. Ron Walters as “one of the finest of minds and the worthiest of efforts to continue the struggle for justice in ways that are consistent with the challenges, the demands, and the tools of this century”, Kevin has spoken nationally and internationally on the issues of leadership and civil/human rights advocacy.

As mentioned in the episode, Kevin Myles is THE go-to person for civil rights advocacy and a skilled grassroots campaign strategist. He is available for international consulting for any organisations seeking to improve their capability in these areas. Get in touch with him via LinkedIn or Twitter @kevinmyles for more information. Or contact us and we'll put you in touch.