by Morgan Montalvo
WOAI News
Strong turnout at the polls for the November midterm elections is a top goal for July's NAACP Annual Convention in San Antonio.
The civil right's group's Aba Blankson says the four-day conference scheduled for July 14-18 at the Henry B.Gonzalez Convention Center will boast an inclusive slate of activities aimed at educating and empowering the widest possible range of voters.
Blankson says the convention schedule includes "workshops on LGBTQ issues, very dynamic youth panels, we will have a hip-hop summit focused on social justice and criminal justice reforms."
Recent court cases involving redistricting and voter roll purging, Blankson says, underscore the importance of the NAACP engaging in comprehensive voter education that reaches beyond the organization's core membership. She says this year's schedule includes special workshops for attorneys on protection of voting rights for all groups.
"It's all very relevant to our theme, which is 'Defeat Hate - Vote,'" says Blankson.
An estimated 10,000 delegates will attend this year's national convention, she adds.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the NAACP's San Antonio branch.