Did the NAACP Finally Get Something Right?

by Guest Contributor Average Bro, originally published on AverageBro.com

Not that anyone’s really noticed, but the NAACP’s been asleep at the wheel since they ran off their most recent President, Bruce Gordon over a year ago. This weekend, the organization quietly introduced their new President, the oddly named Carlos Solis[1] Ben Jealous.

A 35-year-old human rights activist on Saturday was chosen to become the NAACP’s new president and chief executive. Benjamin Todd Jealous, a graduate of Columbia University and a Rhodes scholar, will become the youngest leader in the 99-year history of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

“I’m excited to take the helm of the NAACP,” he said. “I believe in the urgent need for strong civil rights institutions and strong black institutions in general.”

“I am tremendously excited. It’s a real chance to get my generation of people — those from 25 to 45 years old — really engaged in the work of this association, and to get this association really engaged in the issues of this century,” Jealous said. “This is an historic time and the association is needed, now as much as ever.

“As somebody raising a 2½-year-old black child in this country, and having enjoyed as many blessings and privileges as my wife and I have, it’s still deeply troubling that we have to worry about how she might be treated in school or by the police. As parents, we want the best treatment for our child, without discrimination against any aspect of her life. That’s what drives me.”

The NAACP’s 64-member board, however, was not united in its selection of Jealous. The vote, taken after an arduous eight-hour closed-door meeting that ended close to 3 a.m., came as some members complained that they were being shut out of the selection process.

He pointed to his youth as an asset in recruiting new members and said he thought he could work to create consensus among the board’s various factions.

On the surface, I like this move for many reasons. Jealous is more or less my age, which means although he’s obviously well accomplished, he isn’t too far removed from the very youth the NAACP is going to need if it has any chance of staying alive, let alone regaining relevance. He comes with a background not only in activism, but also in media. He’s already mentioning taking more proactive measures to increase the organization’s effectiveness, as well as embracing technology, something the NAACP clearly hasn’t a clue about. If you want proof, just spend a few minutes on their website trying to unearth anything of value. Simply finding ways to work with new-school “activists” like bloggers will go a long way towards pulling the organization into the 21st century.

On the flipside, I wonder if he isn’t going to somehow flame out and fall out of favor with the organization’s top heavy board of directors. Anytime you have to go through 64 people to get something done, you’re bound to get frustrated. Speaking of which, other than to appease the egos of a lot of 70 year olds, why in the hell does the NAACP need 64 board members? What are they, the US Senate? The mere process of getting these folks to approve Jealous for the position was reportedly time consuming and quite contentious. I wonder how these graybeards are gonna react when he tells them they’re gonna need Hotmail accounts.

Sadly, the bigger issue is the organization’s direction. While his predecessors (Kwesi Mfume and Benjamin Chavis) faltered due to personal demons, Gordon blew it when he tried to use his experience as a corporate executive to push the organization towards social service rather than it’s traditional platform of social justice. This was a good idea on paper. Had the NAACP moved forward with proactive initiatives like financial awareness and community investment seminars, perhaps the ravages of the recent economic downturn and the proliferation of predatory lending and subsequent foreclosures in the black community might have been lessened. We’ll never know, since Gordon got canned for not bringing in enough corporate donations and generally pissing off the Board of Directors. So, here’s to hoping Jealous’ stint works out better.

I’m obviously in wait and see mode, but here’s just some of what I’d like to see the NAACP focus on:

Page 1 of 2 | Next page