5

5

The Florida NAACP story is full of champions -- Father Theodore Gibson, Reverends A. Leon Lowery and C. K. Steele, Rutledge Pearson, Charles Cherry, Flossie Currington, Ellen P. Greene -- the list is long.

Today, Florida is the fourth largest state in the union, with a population becoming more diverse every day. Whites account for 65 percent, blacks 15, Asians 2, and Hispanics 17 percent.

We know that nationally, as in Florida, Hispanics are now the largest minority, and we are reminded of our need to make common cause with all who share our condition and concerns. Although Latinos are less cohesive as a group than blacks -- identifying themselves by place of origin rather than race and collectively lacking a shared history in the United States -- blacks and Latinos, as well as other minorities, will move forward fastest if we move forward together.

We've said it again and again -- in the NAACP, we believe colored people come in all colors. Anyone who shares our condition, values and concerns is more than welcome.

Although Florida boasts a diverse population and has witnessed a huge growth in its minority student population, its schools -- in keeping with national trends -- are becoming more segregated. We know that when properly enforced, Brown v. Board of Education does work -- because we've seen it work, here in Florida and elsewhere throughout the South.

In 1980, the average black student in Florida, as a result of enforcement efforts under Brown, was attending a school that was half white. By 2000, however, that student's school was only about

5