Change Has Gotta' Come...

NAACP President Cornell William Brooks was ousted; vote of no confidence. This surprised me. I cannot speak much on it with any specificity because I don't follow NAACP that closely. But history and my gut tells me that it was probably not a good move. NAACP usually gets rid of folks making a difference or seeking to implement change and keeps those who "kiss the way TOO MANY rings" and who preserve status quo.

Former Presidents Ben Jealous & Bruce Gordon immediately come to mind. I remember being excited by the potential of both their leadership. More recently Ben Jealous who resigned, was unquestionably overshadowed and/or expected to share his limelight/leadership with CEO Roslyn Brock. This seemed awkward and to an outsider, made no sense. The face of NAACP leadership was cloudy, murky, unclear. The same was true of Bruce Gordon's presidency. He resigned in what seemed similar frustration of being forced to share his leadership responsibilities with "too many chiefs". It was following his resignation that I first recall hearing of NAACP having a really humongous and difficult to manage board of directors that was criticized for interfering and impeding Mr. Gordon's attempts to make progress and advance the organization. I do not presume to have the facts in either of these cases but I have no doubt that push back from the old guard and their resistance to change is what drove two very genuine and committed men out of what should be a stellar, revered and leading civil rights organization. It is also what earned them a vote of no confidence and fleeing by much of what was an established and solid membership. Have they done it again? I don't know but certainly I hope not...

I was President of a local chapter. It was not easy... Not at all... That they have been perceived as out of touch and less relevant is not new news to the NAACP. Reportedly under President Brooks' leadership and undoubtedly because of radical changes in our government, membership has flourished for the NAACP and many other civil rights and/or social justice organizations; an increase of 87% in membership reinforced by an upsurge in donations of 200%. Let's see what they do with it.

While the NAACP has certainly earned it's rightful place in history as a dominant and leading civil rights organization, somehow they got stuck on taking their status. They began taking their supporters for granted and seemingly instead began yielding and became beholden to the influence of corporate sponsors. They stopped fighting to maintain their position as the leader of a movement. They stopped earning and staking their claim. I want to see them do well so I sincerely hope that the organization as a whole does some serious self assessment before moving on to select a new "leader". They have to commit to truly get out of their own way and genuinely support whoever they put in place to lead the organization into a new day, in a new way, and with a new voice...

That being said, I recently renewed my membership BECAUSE I want them to succeed and BECAUSE I DO respect their legacy, what they have done and where they have brought us as a nation. MAJOR, MAJOR props! I KNOW upon whose shoulders I stand. While I am hopeful they will find their way, in my heart I feel distanced and estranged from the image and philosophy they project. But still and always I remain respectful of their work and hopeful for their future. I am thankful for the NAACP and sincerely hope that in the spirit of that soulful hit song by the legendary, talented, late and great Sam Cooke, I sincerely hope they realize and truly embrace that Change Has 'Gotta' Come, oh yes it does...