WS Chronicle

By Raynard Jackson

Once again the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has proven why it is the Hillary Clinton of the Civil Rights Movement.

The NAACP used to be a storied organization that was a major player in the historic fight for full equality for Blacks in America; that was before it got bought out by the Democratic Party in the early 1970s; before it bowed downed to the altar of the homosexual community; and before it sold itself to the likes of radical liberal George Soros and his open borders crowd who believe that everyone has a right to be in the U.S., legally or illegally.

The equality that the NAACP once sought was not predicated on some “special” rights or entitlements that some groups wanted the courts to create out of thin air (gay rights). The NAACP and Blacks wanted the rights that the U.S. Constitution already said we were entitled to.

Like Clinton, the NAACP can never seem to bring itself to accept responsibility for any of their own actions; and the plight of the Black community can always be blamed on others.

This Clintonian tick led NAACP officials last Friday [May 19] to fire their latest president and CEO, Cornell William Brooks.  [The NAACP chose not to extend Brooks’ contract. His term ends at the end of June.]

Brooks should have never been hired for this post; the national board selected him three years ago, because they wanted someone that was easy to control.

Since the 1970s, the NAACP has only had two heads who made any difference in America and the organization; those two people were Benjamin Hooks and Bruce Gordon.

Hooks was an icon of the Civil Rights Movement and a staunch Republican. Richard Nixon appointed him to serve on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the early Seventies.  He was the first Black to ever serve on this commission and is singularly responsible for the diversity in media ownership that we see today. Without Hooks, networks like BET and TV One never would have existed.

Bruce Gordon came from a family with deeps roots in the Civil Rights Movement, but he chose to make his mark on America by working his way up the ladder in corporate America.  He became a high-ranking executive with telecom giant Verizon.

So, his appointment to lead the NAACP in 2005 shocked everyone, because they typically hired preachers or politicians. President George W. Bush had rightfully ignored the group and refused to attend their national convention until Gordon came on board. Gordon’s business background helped him to navigate the political battlefield and he was able to build a personal relationship with President Bush, to the dismay of his group’s board.

This friction led to his abrupt resignation in 2007.

The national board of the NAACP loves to micromanage its presidents. God forbid a president makes a decision on his own or attempts to make the group more relevant to the 21st century.

I know many of the NAACP leaders from across the country and the tragedy is that most of them don’t even believe in the issues the national board has made a priority.

How can the NAACP claim to represent the Black community when they are out of sync with what the Black community believes and wants?

The Black community is very conservative. Blacks don’t support amnesty for illegals. Blacks are the largest voting block that supports school choice and vouchers!  This, despite the NAACP passing a resolution last year at its national convention opposing school choice.  And it wonders why it is no longer relevant to the Black community?

I dare the NAACP national board to choose someone like Condoleezza Rice as its next leader; if board members are truly interested in regaining relevancy, that’s exactly what they’ll do.

Unfortunately, the  NAACP has become the retirement village for the Black bourgeoisie.

Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF).  He is also an NNPA Newswire Columnist. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter @Raynard1223