Don't Hate On Al Sharpton - Congratulate Him

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By: Jeff Johnson

I am coming to you this morning from Los Angeles, California and the NAACP National Convention. So many of the issues that organizations like the NAACP and others are addressing are affected by a 24-hour news cycle and the individuals on those airwaves that champion or ignore those same issues.

For years, there have been no black hosts in primetime cable news and fewer than a handful anywhere in cable news. Last week, that reality was served a blow when MSNBC decided to announce that Rev. Al Sharpton would become the network's newest host, filling the 6 p.m. hour of the cable network's programming. Now, MSNBC had been using Rev. Sharpton to fill in for Cenk Uygur and then seemingly opened space for him to continue to audition (if you will) for the spot. I heard my fair share of comments regarding his performance, from praise to reasonable critique, to straight-up hate. And when it was finally announced that he would get the spot, the naysayers came out of the woodwork. CONTINUE....

Maine Gov. Paul LePage: 'Kiss My Butt' On MLK Day Event No-Shows

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By: Nsenga Burton

The Associated Press is reporting that Maine Gov. Paul LePage told critics Friday to "kiss my butt" over his decision not to attend the state NAACP's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations over the holiday weekend. LePage declined the organization's invitations to a dinner in Portland on Sunday night and a breakfast in Orono on Monday because of prior commitments. CONTINUE....

NAACP Releases Report On Troubling Tea Party Ties

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By: Cord Jefferson

The NAACP and the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights (IREHR) today fired the second official salvo in the battle between civil rights groups and the Tea Party movement. In a report released this morning, "Tea Party Nationalism," IREHR researchers Devin Burghart and Leonard Zeskind detail the origins of the Tea Party and its connections to militias, anti-immigrant organizations and white-power groups.

NAACP President Ben Jealous writes in a foreword to the report, "We know the majority of Tea Party supporters are sincere, principled people of good will," but, he adds, "links between certain Tea Party factions and acknowledged racist hate groups in the United States … should give all patriotic Americans pause."

"Tea Party Nationalism" comes several months after the NAACP passed a resolution condemning what it regards as troubling racism within the ranks of the Tea Party movement.

CONTINUE....

USDA Reconsiders Employee's Job Over Race Remark

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Amid growing pressure, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the USDA will reconsider its decision to ask an employee to resign over racially tinged remarks she made at an NAACP banquet. Evidence shows her remarks were misconstrued.

NAACP Stands by Charges of Tea Party Racism

NAACP President Ben Jealous says tea party supporters like Sarah Palin need to publicly condemn racist behavior among some of the group's members. The civil rights organization accused tea party activists Tuesday of tolerating bigotry.

Civil Rights Leader Benjamin Hooks Dies

Benjamin L. Hooks, a champion of minorities and the poor who as executive director of the NAACP increased the group's stature, has died.

The New Leader of the NAACP

The NAACP has elected a health care executive as its youngest board chairman. Forty-four-year-old Roslyn M. Brock was chosen Saturday to succeed Julian Bond.

Filling a Black Hole

Does Exxon speak for black Americans in the climate bill debate?

By: Brentin Mock

Last week, National Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harry Alford gave Sen. Barbara Boxer the business over their disagreements about the climate bill before her committee. In testimony before the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, Alford admitted that he spoke "not as an economist" and as "not a climate change expert," but as someone with "a deep understanding of small and minority-owned businesses." In other words, he knows black people. When Boxer waved an NAACP resolution supporting climate change action in Alford's face, he took offense, accusing Boxer of "racial"-izing the climate change debate, and asked pointedly: "Why are you doing the colored people's association's study with the black chamber of commerce?" Later, he added: "Let me speak for the African-American community, since I am African American."

Filling a Black Hole....

NAACP Addresses Widespread Racial Bias in the Ad Industry

By: Michael H. Cottman

Following a recent study that exposed widespread racial discrimination in America’s advertising industry, the NAACP sent a letter last week to Procter & Gamble Co. Chairman A.G. Lafley, urging the giant advertiser to incorporate more diversity in its executive ranks.

The NAACP also asked Procter and Gamble to meet with NAACP leaders as soon as possible to discuss racial bias.

"African-Americans have worked in advertising since the modern American advertising industry emerged more than 100 years ago," the NAACP letter said. "Yet, as employment discrimination has sharply diminished across the American labor market over recent decades, systemic barriers to equal opportunity in this $31 billion a year industry have remained largely intact."

"Racial discrimination is 38 percent worse in the advertising industry than in the overall U.S. labor market, and that ‘discrimination divide’ between advertising and other U.S. industries is more than twice as large today as it was 30 years ago," the letter said.

The NAACP’s letter comes after the Madison Avenue Project study, "Research Perspectives on Race and Employment in the Advertising Industry," which found "dramatic levels of racial discrimination throughout the industry against African-American professionals within pay, hiring, promotions, assignments and other areas."

The study was commissioned by a coalition of legal, civil rights and industry leaders who created the Madison Avenue Project. Civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri, the project leader, called its findings "absolutely astonishing in this day and age."

Darlene Taylor, a public relations strategist who has worked with the NAACP on several initiatives, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that the nation’s large companies must work harder to promote diversity.

"The number of minorities in top management and executive positions in the corporate world, in general, are a small percentage," Taylor said.

She said many companies have already targeted diversity initiatives in their recruiting efforts and often includes increasing their support to minority students in colleges and on black college campuses.

"Additionally, they partner with organizations that work to encourage greater minority participation in the workforce," Taylor added. "Stronger recruiting partnerships, scholarships to minority students, internships and practical study experience that lead to jobs - real, meaningful, career-aspiration fulfilling jobs – would help."

NAACP Addresses Widespread Racial Bias in the Ad Industry....

NAACP: Bank Giants Steered Blacks to Bad Loans

By: Jesse Washington,

The NAACP is accusing Wells Fargo and HSBC of forcing blacks into subprime mortgages while whites with identical qualifications got lower rates.

Class-action lawsuits will be filed against the banks Friday in federal court in Los Angeles, Austin Tighe, co-lead counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told The Associated Press.

Black homebuyers have been 3 1/2 times more likely to receive a subprime loan than white borrowers, and six times more likely to get a subprime rate when refinancing, Tighe said. Blacks still were disproportionately steered into subprime loans when their credit scores, income and down payment were equal to those of white homebuyers, he said.

Both Wells Fargo & Co. and HSBC are receiving federal bailout funds. Messages left after hours with the banks were not immediately returned.

NAACP: Bank Giants Steered Blacks to Bad Loans....

NAACP wants NY Post editor and cartoonist fired

By VERENA DOBNIK

NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the NAACP on Saturday urged readers to boycott the New York Post, calling a cartoon that the newspaper published an invitation to assassinate President Barack Obama.

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called on the tabloid to remove editor-in-chief Col Allan, as well as longtime cartoonist Sean Delonas.

Earlier this week, the newspaper apologized to anyone who might have been offended by the image printed Wednesday, which some say likens Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police in Connecticut.

Jealous said the cartoon was "an invitation to assassination."

NAACP wants NY Post editor and cartoonist fired....

NAACP See Triumphs, Challenges As It Turns 100

By: Black America Web Staff

The NAACP celebrates its 100th anniversary this week--which coincides with the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth—marking another milestone in the history of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.

The NAACP was formed partly in response to the continuing practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in Springfield, the capital of Illinois and birthplace of Lincoln.

"The NAACP has successfully fought discrimination for 100 years and we are proud of our achievements to date," said NAACP National Board of Directors Chairman Julian Bond. "Our founders could not have dreamed that our centennial would coincide with the inauguration of the first African American president. We know we played a role in this triumph; sadly, we know our work is not done."

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said the NAACP remains relevant in America.

“Earlier this year, our nation came together to celebrate an historic moment when Barack Obama was sworn in as America’s first black president,” Cummings said in a statement.

“This victory symbolized the progress our nation has made in recognizing individuals not by the color of their skin, but by the contributions they bring to our society,” Cummings said.

“And, importantly, it paid tribute to the one hundred years of blood, sweat, and tears by the NAACP to make African Americans visible,” he added. “As we enter a new era and the NAACP’s focus shifts from civil rights to human rights, I applaud the organization for everything it has done for me, my family, and my community, and I look forward to a continued legacy of justice and opportunity for my children and my children’s children.”

Heading into the 21st century, the NAACP is focused on disparities in economics, health care, education, voter empowerment and the criminal justice system while also continuing its role as legal advocate for civil rights issues.

The NAACP will partly mark the 100th year of its founding by releasing a white paper that lays out an urgent civil and human rights agenda for the 111th Congress and new Administration.

The report calls for bailout and stimulus dollars to be made discrimination resistant, highlights the need for law enforcement accountability and identifies several key areas of pressing concerns including mass incarceration, health care, the diversion of funds from Katrina victims and climate change.

"Our journey remains unfinished," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin T. Jealous. "African Americans suffer disproportionately from the economic recession; we are seeing a rise in hate crimes and police killings, there is still not a level playing field in economic and educational opportunities for every community. The audacious dream of America, a land where opportunity exists for all and where every person is given a chance to reach their full potential, still remains elusive."

NAACP See Triumphs, Challenges As It Turns 100....

NAACP President: US Minorities Still Suffer

In a meeting with the Associated Press, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous says, despite the election of President Barack Obama, there is still a lot of work to be done to help minorities in the United States.

Commentary: Is Barack Obama Tough Enough to Be President?

By: Gregory P. Kane

Is Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois and likely the next president of the United States, tough enough for the job?

Obama may be too darned nice to be president. Do you have to be a raging S.O.B. to be president? Well, no, but it sure does help.

President Lyndon Johnson -- whom Obama never mentioned in his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination -- was one mean S.O.B. when he was in the White House. But, with some help from people like Clarence Mitchell Jr. of the NAACP, Johnson was able to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act through Congress, over the opposition of many of his fellow Southern Democrats.

Johnson also crammed through Congress much of his “Great Society,” anti-poverty legislation that led to programs like Head Start, Upward Bound and the Job Corps. His predecessor, President Kennedy -- whom Obama mentioned quite a bit in his acceptance speech -- wasn’t the mean S.O.B. Johnson was. Kennedy couldn’t get the civil rights legislation passed. He let Southern Democrats intimidate him so much that when whites rioted in Oxford, Miss., in 1962 to keep James Meredith out of the University of Mississippi, Kennedy actually desegregated an integrated U.S. Army military police battalion to appease the racists. Through his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, President Kennedy ordered battalion commanders to leave their black troops home.

You can look that up.

COMMENTARY....

McCain tells NAACP he'll back school vouchers

By DEVLIN BARRETT

CINCINNATI (AP) — John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters Wednesday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school.

The likely Republican presidential nominee addressed the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization.

In greeting the group, McCain praised Democrat Barack Obama's historic campaign, but said the Illinois senator is wrong to oppose school vouchers for students in failing public schools. It is time, McCain said, to use vouchers and other tools like merit pay for teachers to break from conventional thinking on educational policy.

Obama, he said, has dismissed support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans.

McCain tells NAACP he'll back school vouchers....

Obama Tells NAACP Confab He’ll Keep Talking About Black Fathers, Personal Responsibility

By: Michael H. Cottman

Sen. Barack Obama told thousands of NAACP members Monday that as America's first viable black presidential candidate, he is following in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other courageous civil rights activists who were staunch advocates for social justice and equality for African-Americans.

"It is because of them; and all those whose names never made it into the history books -- those men and women, young and old, black, brown and white, clear-eyed and straight-backed, who refused to settle for the world as it is; who had the courage to remake the world as it should be -- it's because of them that I stand before you tonight as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America," Obama told a capacity crowd attending the 99th annual convention of the NAACP in Cincinnati.

"And if I have the privilege of serving as your next president, I will stand up for you the same way that earlier generations of Americans stood up for me -- by fighting to ensure that every single one of us has the chance to make it if we try," Obama said. "That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America. It means fighting to eliminate discrimination from every corner of our country. It means changing hearts and changing minds and making sure that every American is treated equally under the law."

Obama Tells NAACP Confab He’ll Keep Talking About Black Fathers, Personal Responsibility....

Report: NAACP Spent More on Internal Jena Six Activities Than on Youths’ Defense Funds

By: Sherrel Wheeler Stewart

Mychal Bell went to his prom this spring in Monroe, Louisiana. He’s working a job and practicing with the football team at Carroll High School in the hopes of getting approval from the state’s high school athletic association to play this fall.

And if things go well, he hopes to be released soon from juvenile court supervision, his lawyer said.

For Bell, the only one of six Louisiana teens dubbed the Jena Six to be sentenced following a 2006 fight with a white classmate, some things in life are returning to normal. But challenges still are ahead.

Attorneys for the five remaining Jena youths still are working to have the judge presiding in the matter removed. And on another front, concerns are being circulated in the blogosphere about the efficiency of fundraising to support the defense of the teens as more money is needed to continue the next phase.

On two blogs -- Jack & Jill Politics and the Jena Six Blog -- questions are being raised about a NAACP report that shows it spent more than half the money raised for the Jena youths' defense on internal costs related to the organization's activities there.

Report: NAACP Spent More on Internal Jena Six Activities Than on Youths’ Defense Funds....

NAACP EXPRESSES OUTRAGE: At unjust ruling in Sean Bell police shooting case

By Richard J. McIntire

The NAACP is expressing its outrage at the verdict issued earlier today by New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Cooperman in the police shooting death of Sean Bell.

The NAACP demands that the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division follow through on its reported monitoring of the case and launch a thorough investigation.

"For us, this case raises the overwhelming concern that New York City Police are often out of control," said New York State Conference NAACP President Hazel N. Dukes. "Where was the threat to the police? There was no need for so many shots to have been fired under the circumstances. The police need to protect and respect our community. The legal system is not living up to justice and fair play. To acquit on all charges is inconceivable and unacceptable. This verdict does not sit well with the NAACP."

The New York State Conference NAACP is planning a Day of Mourning and other reconciliation activities in wake of the verdict.

"This is the latest glaring example of court decisions that appear to endorse legally-sanctioned violence against African Americans," said NAACP Interim General Counsel Angela Ciccolo. "It is high time for all people to wake up and demand an end to senseless violence by police officers against African Americans."

As the court's review of this case tragically illustrates, the statutes that govern the use of deadly force by law enforcement entities are woefully inadequate. As such, the NAACP also calls on Congress to hold hearings on use of force policies and The Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, as crafted by Michigan Rep. John Conyers.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its more than half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitors of equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

REV. WRIGHT KEYNOTES AT NAACP DINNER IN DETROIT: Controversial preacher speaks on April 27.

On April 27 at Cobo Center in Detroit the NAACP branch holds its 53rd annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner featuring keynote speaker Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

Trinity United Church of Christ is the church home of presidential candidate Barack Obama.


Rev. Wright thrust himself in the limelight with a controversial service where his remark claiming that African-Americans should sing, “God damn America and not God Bless America.” Obama in turn denounced the remarks, but not Wright. The Illinois senator has said that Rev. Wright is a mentor to him.


The fundraiser has been billed the largest sit-down dinner in America. It is the primary fundraising event for the Detroit branch, which is one of the NAACP’s most prominent, historical and largest.


The dinner will honor Detroiters Charlie Gilliam (community activist) and Eleanor Josaitis (co-founder of FOCUS) with Freedom and Justice Awards and Dennis Archer Sr. with the group’s Life Time Achievement Award.


Soledad O’Brien of CNN will make a special presentation of the documentary, “Black in America.”

NAACP INNER CIRCLE IN TURMOIL

There is reported infighting among high-ranking members of the nation's oldest civil rights organization and it's threatening to affect the process of selecting a new president and CEO, reports the Baltimore Sun.


The NAACP's national base in Baltimore has been mired in disagreements over CEO selection, the group's direction, and local chapters' funds, the newspaper reports.


Calling itself the "Leadership of Conscience," a group of about a dozen NAACP board members made their objections known last weekend at the board's annual meeting in New York. During board elections, the group waged an unsuccessful effort to unseat Chairman Julian Bond, the Sun reports.


"There is a significant coalition of opposition formed to push the NAACP forward and to reject the status quo," said J. Whyatt Mondesire of Philadelphia, who was elected to the board last year. "People want to change the agenda and be in the forefront of the civil rights struggle."


Bond contends that board members approved the very selection process to which some now object.


"Of course it worries me if a single member of the board feels that way, but I don't think it is a common feeling," said Bond, 68, the veteran civil rights activist and former Georgia state senator who has been chairman since 1998.


The NAACP continues to reel from the sudden resignation last March of President Bruce S. Gordon after 19 months at the helm. Board members selected the former Verizon executive hoping for a fresh approach and that his corporate connections would boost fundraising. But Gordon and the 64-member board that hired him clashed over philosophy and civil rights strategy.