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NAACP mission inspires minister

An Oldsmar minister jumps into his role as leader of the Clearwater/Upper Pinellas branch with energy and ideas on increasing membership.

By MEGAN SCOTT
Published March 27, 2005

CLEARWATER - Nathaniel Ramsey is the minister of a 30-member church who doesn't have any experience leading an NAACP branch.

He only recently began attending local branch meetings. And he has never even been to a national convention.

But Ramsey, 48, has accepted the challenge of rejuvenating the Clearwater/Upper Pinellas County branch of the NAACP, which for years has struggled to recruit members and maintain a significant presence in the community.

And he has his work cut out for him.

The branch has no office, no Web site, not even someone to answer the phone. Those things are important for an NAACP branch to be successful, said Samuel Wright, an officer with the Hillsborough County branch. The Hillsborough branch, he said, has all those things.

"It makes a difference having an office," said Wright. "You have a place where people can come and log a complaint, where people can meet. A Web site is always a plus. That's the way most people communicate these days, via Web site. It helps to have someone answering the phone."

Ramsey faces other challenges as well.

The Oldsmar resident has to find lawyers willing to provide legal counseling services pro bono. He has to increase the membership numbers, so the organization has the money and volunteers to carry out programs.

And he has to raise the visibility of the branch, which in recent years has been overshadowed by the NAACP in St. Petersburg.

But Ramsey said he is ready.

Bring it on.

While he has only been president for three months, he has already brought a new energy to the organization.

He met with members of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Dunedin who were concerned about an incident that occurred on King Day at Pioneer Park. While the choir was performing, a white man drove a truck up and down Main Street, blowing his horn and playing Dixie.

He plans to meet with other church leaders as well. He wants to reach out to the communities in mid and north Pinellas.

"We have to broaden our parameters to make sure we are meeting the needs," Ramsey said. "We want to get them more involved."

He also reorganized several committees within the organization, including the membership committee and the Legal Redress committee, which addresses discrimination issues.

The membership goal: 500 new members before the end of the year, said Nate Patterson, who does marketing for the branch. Patterson declined to reveal current membership numbers.

"We're starting to market ourselves better and show them the NAACP is not just Clearwater," he said. "We're also showing some of the things the NAACP is doing on a national basis. So when they think of the NAACP, they don't think that's that branch over there in Clearwater."

Ramsey said the branch receives a number of telephone calls related to discrimination in the work place.

He needs volunteers to answer the phone, and people to help plan the annual King Day celebration and the Freedom Fund banquet, the branch's main fundraiser. This year, Adora Obi Nweze, president of the NAACP Florida State Conference, will speak at the April 9 dinner.

As for an office and a Web site, he said, "We're working on it."

Ramsey said he has always been an activist.

When he was about 10 years old, he was part of a blockade to stop KKK members from marching through his Babson Park neighborhood in Polk County. The men, who were wearing white robes and hoods, retreated.

He was angry. How dare they?

"Don't come through our community making a stance for white supremacy," said Ramsey, who has five children. "In small, rural communities people are very close, very bonded. Everyone takes part in community action."

Ramsey, who has a management degree from the University of South Florida, was a teacher and school administrator for Palm Beach County schools for several years before he was called to the ministry and ordained through the Bible Church of God.

His church, Restoration Village Christian Center, holds services in the North Greenwood Performing Arts Academy on Kings Highway in Clearwater.

In 2002, he became a member of the Upper Pinellas County Ministerial Alliance, an organization of black ministers. That network introduced him to the local NAACP. He attended meetings occasionally and then became more involved over the past year.

"I felt like I needed to get back involved," said Ramsey, who had a membership in the Lake Wales branch. "To a large degree, I am an activist at heart. I felt I could contribute something to the local chapter."

Former branch president Arthonia Godwin recruited him to run for office. He was automatically elected in November after running unopposed and was inaugurated in January.

Ramsey said the NAACP needs a presence in north Pinellas County.

He doesn't believe the Clearwater/Upper Pinellas County branch should merge with the St. Petersburg branch, an idea that St. Petersburg branch president Darryl Rouson has proposed.

"One branch cannot handle the type of growth we're all expecting to take place," said Ramsey. "I believe both branches are doing something significant for the struggle."

But Rouson said there are counties larger than Pinellas that have just one branch, such as Hillsborough.

"Having said that, though, the Upper Pinellas branch has a great tradition and great history," said Rouson. "I am committed to supporting Ramsey, and just his energy motivates me to continue to challenge my branch."

Some people may wonder whether Ramsey can turn the branch around.

Ramsey is planning on proving he can. Even before he took over, he said, the branch was on the upswing.

"We're excited," said Ramsey. "We're excited about what we are doing and what we're looking to become.

"I see the need for the organization," he added. "I see the need for the local branch to grow and become more of a voice in the community, especially for those who have had their rights violated."

Megan Scott can be reached at 727 445-4167 or mscott@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 27, 2005, 00:34:19]