NAACP Alabama State Conference leaders highlighted voter engagement and health care initiatives Tuesday during a statewide meeting.
During the association’s virtual Statewide Freedom Call event, Alabama State Conference President Ronald Ali said NAACP Alabama’s senior field organizer is focused on driving voter engagement in the 2nd and 7th Congressional Districts.
“The southern part of Alabama is the focus for us to make sure that we maintain our seats in Congress,” Ali said.
NAACP Legal Redress Chair Shalela Dowdy, founding president of Stand Up Mobile, also said she is focused on driving voter turnout in the 2nd Congressional District following the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a Republican-majority version of the district, which courts previously struck down as racially discriminatory.
“The new 2nd Congressional District—that will be the target area first,” Dowdy said.
Dowdy highlighted Mobile County’s low voter turnout in the 2026 primary elections, roughly 7.5 percent, and urged organizers to include voter education programming in all local NAACP events.
“I know my county turnout was horrible,” Dowdy said. “That is a sign that is not just Black or white; it’s not a party thing. It’s not a rich or poor thing. People are not knowledgeable.”
“While we do this work, leading up to this November general election, just make sure you always have an education component,” Dowdy said. “Whatever they’re doing, they need to always be talking about voting, talking about the election so that this becomes the norm because right now it’s not the norm.”
Alabama State Conference Health Chair Dr. Christian Williams-Brown announced during the meeting that she will receive a 2026 Dr. William Montague Cobb Award, an honor presented annually to an outstanding state health committee chair for achievement in promoting health and social justice.
“This award represents a commitment to advancing health equity as a fundamental civil right,” Williams-Brown said. “To be recognized with an award that carries Dr. Cobb’s name is both humbling and a reminder that this work is far greater than any one individual.”
“This recognition also belongs to what I believe is the best health committee in the entire NAACP,” Williams-Brown said. “Every initiative, every educational program, every community partnership and every conversation about health equity has been possible because of a team that shares a passion for service.”
Alabama State Conference First Vice President Dorothea Crosby reported on the All Roads Lead to Birmingham event held by the association’s Metro Birmingham Branch on June 18.
The event featured a panel discussion on civic engagement, redistricting following the Supreme Court’s decision in <em>Louisiana v. Callais</em> and active litigation by the Legal Defense Fund.
Crosby said additional civic and voter engagement events are being planned for other locations in Alabama, with a focus on youth voter engagement.
“Our youth, they’re our future, and they’re gonna be the most important people and persons to vote this term, for this election,” Crosby said. “They can make the difference and go on to the polls.”
“So that’s my main goal—is making sure that we’re educating,” Crosby said.
