The Work Ahead: Our Voice, Our Movement, Our Moment

One of the most important things we can do as a movement is come together, speak with one strong voice, and prepare ourselves for the work ahead. Across California and Hawaiʻi, our communities continue to face attacks on our rights, our democracy, and the progress we have fought generations to achieve. This is not the time to sit on the sidelines.

As we approach the November 3 General Election, we must remain informed, engaged, organized, and ready to act. Voting is one of the most powerful tools we have, and our responsibility is to make sure our communities understand what is at stake and that every eligible voter has the opportunity to make their voice heard.

Learn more about the NAACP CA/HI 2026 November Election Recommendations:

Click the here to view the Website on NAACP CA/HI Positions

That work continues at our 39th Annual NAACP California Hawaiʻi State Conference Convention, October 22–25 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. This year’s theme, “We the People: Will Not Be Deterred,” is more than a convention theme—it is a statement about who we are and how we will meet this moment.

We will come together in Long Beach to strengthen our movement, prepare our leaders, organize our communities, and develop strategies around the civil rights issues affecting Black Californians, Hawaiians, and communities across our states.

We will also take time to recognize those who have dedicated their lives to the fight for justice. I am especially proud that we will honor civil rights attorney John L. Burris as our 2026 Legacy Hall of Fame Honoree. For more than four decades, John has stood on the front lines fighting for civil rights, police accountability, and justice for communities too often denied it.

I am asking our delegates, members, branches, youth, and volunteers to join us in Long Beach. We need you there. And when we leave the convention, the work cannot stop at the doors of the Hyatt. We must return home ready to organize, mobilize, educate our communities, and turn out our voters.

The work ahead requires all of us. We will not be deterred, we will not be silent, and we will make our voices heard.

Register today: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/cahi-state-convention–2026

Dr. Rick L. Callender, Esq.

President

NAACP California Hawaiʻi State Conference