Naacp

To: Journalists and Pundits From: Media Central Re: NAACP This memo is prompted by the news that more than 75 people have applied to replace Benjamin Hooks as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the speculation that Jesse Jackson is a leading candidate for the job. Jackson's interest and the avalanche of applications mean we who control the media must try harder to reinforce the...

It's not by luck or accident that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nation's oldest and still most viable civil-rights organization. And it is fitting that the NAACP chose Philadelphia as the site of this year's national convention, which opened yesterday and marks its 95th year of existence. Why is it fitting? Because Philadelphia, a city rich in American history, also is rich in black history. It's one of the focal points of the civil-rights movement, a place where much of the struggle began to allow Americans of African descent to benefit equally in the principals that define this nation.

The Gloucester County NAACP, after several years of inactivity, announced this week it would review the county prosecutor's handling of several incidents involving African American residents. Phillip S. Warner, who took over as chapter president in January, recently reached out to Charles Tyson, who received death threats after being elected mayor of South Harrison, and Terence Jones, who was prosecuted for filing a false police report after he complained he was racially profiled in a motor vehicle stop.

Saying the criminal justice system "affixed its seal of approval to the execution of Donta Dawson," the NAACP yesterday blasted a judge's decision to drop manslaughter charges against former police officer Christopher DiPasquale. Now the NAACP wants to block DiPasquale's efforts to be returned to his job. "The ruling by a Municipal Court judge to drop all criminal charges against the police officer who shot and killed an unarmed 19-year-old young man effectively cheapened the lives of every black man in Philadelphia," said local NAACP President J. Whyatt Mondesire.

It began before it began. This was in 1905, when the great black scholar W.E.B. DuBois called a meeting of prominent black men. They met on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, because hotels in their own country would not accommodate them, and formed what became known as the Niagara Movement. The movement, which held a subsequent meeting at Harper's Ferry, W. Va., issued a statement that said in part, "We claim for ourselves every single right that belongs to a freeborn American, political, civil and social; and until we get these rights we will never cease to protest and assail the ears of America.

NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Hooks opened the 78th annual NAACP convention yesterday with a vow that the organization will fight the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Robert Bork "until hell freezes over. " In his opening remarks to 15,000 conventioneers at the New York Hilton, Hooks said, "The Supreme Court is too important to our hope of equality and justice to sit idly by and watch a whole line of civil rights victories be threatened by the appointment of an overly ideologically oriented justice.

Roosevelt Nesmith, 88, of Cinnaminson, a longtime president of the Southern Burlington County Branch of the NAACP, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease Nov. 20 at home. Mr. Nesmith was an activist in the South Jersey civil rights community for more than 50 years, and was instrumental in the effort to establish affordable housing throughout the state. He fought against racial harassment and violence, job discrimination and school curriculums that excluded the history of minorities.

Members of the West Chester NAACP agreed last week that their demand to have black girls placed on the all-white West Chester Henderson High School varsity cheerleading squad by Thanksgiving is unfair to students who might be interested in trying out for the additional spots. As a result, the NAACP voted at its general meeting Thursday to request that "more than one" black girl be chosen for the varsity team by the beginning of basketball season in December. The group changed its deadline because some members argued that girls interested in trying out for the squad could not learn the necessary cheers and stunts by Thanksgiving.

MISSION accomplished! The NAACP convention isn't over yet, but it has already been a smashing success. All the goals have been met. The racial divide has been widened, so the existence of the organization and its leaders' roles are safe for the foreseeable future. Well done Messrs. Bond, Mfume and Street. The only downside, of course - apparently of little interest to this week's speakers - is that the interests of those who the NAACP claims to represent haven't been enhanced.

The Camden County branch of the NAACP has announced a boycott of Campbell Soup Co. products to protest the company's decision to close its Camden processing plant next month, costing nearly 900 jobs. The Rev. William L. King, the group's president, said he would urge members and their supporters to not buy soup or other products sold by the company. "This is in response to the imminent closing of the Camden plant and the apparent reneging of the company's plan to build world headquarters in Camden," King said in an interview Friday.

By Rawn James Jr. Today marks the 68th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death. More significantly as a constitutional matter, on this day in 1945, Vice President Harry S Truman was sworn in as the 33d president of the United States. During his first term, Truman became a monumental president. Among other actions, he ordered the first use of an atomic bomb and established the Truman Doctrine. Between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Korean War, war consumed Truman's presidency, but oddly never has defined it. His legacy is multifaceted, encompassing a robust foreign policy, a relatively progressive civil-rights agenda, and unapologetic partisanship.

A traveling carnival operation that was supposed to open Thursday to raise money for NAACP scholarships is still looking for a venue, after losing a bid to set up on city land in Hunting Park. "We don't allow carnivals," said Michael DiBerardinis, the deputy mayor in charge of parks and recreation. "Historically they've presented problems to us - there was a homicide attached to one at Russo Playground in the early 2000s . . .. No matter how well they're run, there's a lot of wear and tear and usually damage to the facilities, with all this heavy equipment and the crowds.

Quibilla Divine Age: She won't reveal, coyly saying "I'm in my 50s. " Where she's from: Divine is a Philly native who grew up in Allegheny West. She now lives in Tioga. What she does: She received her undergraduate and master's degree from Lincoln University and heads the education department at the Women's Christian Alliance. Divine also volunteers at the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. What do you like about Philadelphia? "I love the culture, I love the diversity.

Members of two parent groups and the city's NAACP chapter plan to file a city ethics complaint Wednesday alleging that William Penn Foundation-funded work that a consulting firm did for the Philadelphia School District this year constituted lobbying. For several months, the Boston Consulting Group studied the district's operations. It came up with an extensive set of recommendations on how to cut costs and restructure operations in a school system hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd submitted a plan Thursday to the state Civil Service Commission to lay off the city's entire police force, paving the way for a controversial Camden County-run department and potentially setting up a legal battle with police unions. The firing would be the second mass layoff in two years of officers in a city that has seen a record 61 homicides so far this year and is perennially ranked among the nation's most dangerous. In January 2011, Redd laid off 168 officers - nearly half the force then - because of a $26 million city budget deficit, but many were later rehired.

About 200 opponents of Pennsylvania's new voter ID law staged a protest across from Philadelphia's City Hall in advance of today's state Supreme Court hearing on the law. The justices are holding the hearing in the Supreme Court's City Hall courtroom. Protesters carried signs saying, "All Our Votes Must Count," "Supreme Court, Overturn This Act," and "Say No to Voter ID Schemes" at the hour-long rally organized by the NAACP, Philadelphia Neighborhood Network, MoveOn.org, and the Pennsylvania Voter ID Coalition.

Willis Edwards, 66, a civil rights and political activist in Los Angeles and the former leader of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the NAACP has died of cancer. He died Friday at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed. Mr. Edwards was well known in local and national black and Democratic Party circles as a brash yet endearing "fixer" who worked on many elections. He was able to charm and push his way through potential roadblocks to make crucial introductions or maneuver someone he admired into the best photo opportunity.

HOUSTON - Unflinching before a skeptical NAACP crowd, Mitt Romney declared Wednesday he would do more for African Americans than Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, has. He drew jeers when he lambasted the Democrat's policies. "If you want a president who will make things better in the African American community, you are looking at him," Romney told the group's annual convention. Pausing as some in the crowd heckled, he added: "You take a look!" "For real?" someone in the crowd yelled.

When leaders lead, especially on difficult social issues that demand the end of an injustice or the expansion of liberty, people will follow. The NAACP's resolution supporting marriage equality is the most important sign yet that President Obama's public support of it had the power to change hearts and minds. While individual NAACP leaders have spoken out in favor of allowing gays to wed, most notably chairman emeritus Julian Bond, the organization hadn't spoken with one voice — until now. And as remarkable as the resolution is, what's equally noteworthy is the vote.