I was tempted to title this post “Is The NAACP Still Relevant?” but that question is almost laughable. I cannot recall the last time the NAACP spearheaded a national campaign addressing a major issue impacting black people. They have been too busy having symbolic funerals for the word “nigger,” inviting racist Donald Sterling to its events and hosting banquets to raise money. What this money goes toward, I do not know. It certainly is not going toward initiatives to combat injustice.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that the NAACP does not show up when the cries of black Americans demand justice. However, far too often their attendance is reactionary, and sometimes feels obligatory. They like to show up to someone else’s party and align themselves with the activism on the ground. But as far as throwing their own parties. . .I think they would rather host banquets.
Before you start to lambast me for my admittedly flippant posture towards such a great historic civil rights organization, I would defend myself by saying my sentiment is not too different from the official position of the NAACP leadership. On Friday the NAACP national board voted to dismiss Cornell Brooks from his position as president. In a statement released by Vice-Chairman Derrick Johnson along with Chairman Leon Russell, the NAACP tacitly admits the organization’s ineffectiveness. They outlined a new three-point plan to correct its deficiencies.
Step one is changing the leadership (ergo Brooks got fired like he was a member of the Trump administration). Step two is an examination of its infrastructure and how well equipped it is to address the issues facing the black community. Third, and finally, they are going on tour to discover what they should already know, which are the needs of black people. (You can read the full statement here).
What is striking to me is that none of these three “action” items are actually about taking action to address a particular need of the black community. These “action” items are about self-preservation. They are waking to the frightening reality that despite their powerful legacy, they are not invisible. I agree with Symone D. Sanders, the former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, when she stated, “I don’t think the NAACP is ready for this moment because they have been too risk-averse to engage…If folks aren’t ready to shut it down, to challenge this White House, to challenge Congress, to do more than just march, to do some real direct action, then they will not survive in this moment.”
The NAACP has not been ready to “shut it down” for quite some time. The new “action” plan they have implemented does not indicate that they are ready to shut it down any time soon. They will be too busy touring the country. Despite their efforts, all they are indicating is that they are ready to talk, talk some more, write about what they talked about, and then have more banquets to celebrate their talking. The NAACP has become merely a social club and not an activist group.
To be sure, the legacy of the NAACP is above reproach. It valiantly fought for justice, and for that I am eternally grateful. But it cannot let its success from yester year lull it into a complacent state that values the maintenance of organizational status quo over upholding its mission. Raising money and avoiding controversy cannot be elevated over the needs of the people.
While I am happy to see a rise in self-awareness within the NAACP through its three part action plan, I will reserve judgment on whether or not it will become the great civil rights organization it once was. If it is not willing to truly get into the messy, dangerous and difficult work of fighting injustice, then it is no longer serving a purpose. If it serves no purpose then it is as good as dead.
–Until Next Time–
Palooke
