NAACP Oxford branch elects new president

Rev. Vanessa Cummings was elected as president of Oxford NAACP for a two-year term beginning in January, filling the seat soon to be vacated by current President Fran Jackson, after running unopposed on Nov. 2.

Cummings has been a member of Oxford NAACP for nearly 35 years and served as the first chair of the branch’s scholarship committee. She was also president of the branch for eight years total during prior terms and has since served as vice president for several years.

Cummings also served on the Oxford City Council between 1994 and 2000 and was vice mayor for two of those years. She ran for state representative in 2024 and currently serves on the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board. 

She is a reverend at Payne Chapel AME Church in Hamilton, where she facilitates the Coalition for Concerned Citizens civics classes, which also meet at Oxford United Methodist Church. She chairs the Ohio South Ohio Conference Committee on Social Action and Community Development.

As president of the Oxford branch of the nation’s oldest and most widely recognized civil rights organization, Cummings said what the NAACP stands for and what members at Oxford NAACP do is important work. She said she’s been in a leadership position over that work for a long time.

“When I join organizations and I’m part of an organization, I want to be … somebody that’s doing something,” Cummings said. “If I’m going to be in an organization, I’m going to be committed to the organization’s goals and objectives and their missions and what they stand for and what they represent. 

“I’ve always believed in fighting for the rights of all people, fighting for justice for all people, and that’s what the NAACP does.”

Cummings said Oxford NAACP responds to people in the community who come to them with issues, whether it’s at school, work or elsewhere, providing them with assistance or guidance.

The branch sponsors Oxford’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. program every year, as well as the annual Freedom Fund Banquet. The branch also raises funds for scholarships awarded to Talawanda High School graduates each year and partners with the Coalition for Concerned Citizens.

As president, Cummings said she wants to increase participation among its members to better serve the community.