The NAACP is still unwilling to grow a pair and officially declare support for same-sex marriage — because, heavens, this country cannot deal with another civil rights movement! — but the organization that was created for the “advancement of colored people” now looks a lot more diverse than it perhaps once did. Homosexuals and Hispanics are taking over chapter leadership positions all over the place!
The NAACP’s newly revived Worcester chapter elected a 28-year-old openly gay black man as its president this month. In New Jersey, a branch of the organization outside Atlantic City chose a Honduran immigrant to lead it last year. And in Mississippi, the Jackson State University chapter recently turned to a 30-something white man.
Founded more than a century ago to promote black equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is seeing remarkable diversity in its leadership ranks — the result of an aggressive effort over the past four or five years to boost NAACP membership and broaden the civil rights organization’s agenda to confront prejudice in its many forms.
Let’s just hope all these Latino men and women don’t show up and start asking the NAACP’s Benjamin Todd Jealous (pictured) to support their special rights — even if Stefanie Brown, the NAACP’s 30-year-old national field director, insists, “At our core, we want to end discrimination and have equality for all people.”
Jay
If I started an organization for the demographically diminishing majority called NAAWP I’d be considered a racist. Food for thought…
Sagittarius
@Jay: Not just a racist, but a racist homophobe.
kayla
@Jay: You’ve gotta be kidding….
kayla
@Sagittarius: I don’t think being anti-NAACP automatically makes one racist or homophobic, though his comments are specious to say the least. I’m half black and every time either Sharpton or Jackson appears on a television screen near me, I turn it off….I don’t know enough about jealous to make any real assessment, but if he starts acting like those two, I’ll have to do the same when he appears on screen.
kayla
–edut– Jealous*
Jeffree
Ignore the troll Jay, please. It’s just here to get attention and derail the thread. Stirring shîte up does not a conversation make…..
James
I thought the NAACP did come out for gay rights.
kayla
@James: Certain Chapters have, but not the national organization as a whole…At least that’s what I believe…
Joe
This is the laziest piece of writing!! The article wants to be how the NAACP is against gay marriage, and yet the news blurb that Queerty has ripped off from somewhere simply shows that the NAACP is becoming more and more diverse, and a quote from the NACCP’s field director stating clearly they want to end discrimination for ALL people. Queerty, grow a pair yourselves. Better yet, grow up and quit trying to create controversy and race-baiting where there should be none.
NorthernNJ
The NAACP started off as a good organization, and necessary, but haven’t they kind of lost their significance over time? I don’t think they’re harmful, just kinda lame these days. Last I heard they were sticking up for Michael Vick. I mean….gross.
Jim Hlavac
@Jay: Sorry Jay, there already is a NAAWP — it’s the brain fart of David Duke, a Louisiana politician, long faded, and replaced by Tony Perkins in his exclusionary Nazi-genetic like attitudes. It has an office, and has the name, and sells it’s mailing list if want to get it. You will, though, need to pick another name should you want to get started. Or buy it from Duke, he’s broke.
Gay Republican
Are you saying Jesse Jackson (or Ben Jealous) is not the emperor of black people?
That’s heresy and you are racists!
Isaac
@Gay Republican: Cute, but your ignorance is showing. Just like white people don’t have a spokesperson, blacks don’t either and never have. Even MLK didn’t speak for ALL black people.
The tagline for this is terribly specious. Gay people and black people aren’t mutually exlusive, which is often overlooked by many shortsighted people and furthers the movement harming myth that to be gay is to be white.
I’m glad that the NAACP is trying to find its way back to relevance. Welcoming progressive young people of all races and creeds is the way to go for such an organization.
Gordon
Queerty never lets me down (or in this case, lifts me up). It can always be expected to give underhand compliments to minorities, never truly advance the gay agenda, and write poorly worded articles.
Gay Republican
@Isaac: Hail Ben Jealous The Emperor of ALL Black People!
adman
Isn’t this more a problem of the national chapter, specifically Dr. King’s obese and batshit crazy daughter and her influence? Something tells me that’ll change in a little time, people get tired of crazy, and cults of personality have shorter shelf lives these days. Oh, and BTW, you NAAWP guys? You’re way behind with the brainless in your neck of the woods, which I take as a good sign considering who you are. At least you’re just out to lunch.
But anyway, the whack job cracker barrel types are being “sovereigns” now, which is kind of like being a lone ranger Klan member, with an obsession about the law. You stage your own protest and stop paying taxes, shoot cops if they pull you over for your doctored license plates, Timothy McVeigh type stuff. If you end up in court, you argue middle ages common law until they drag you away and shoot you full of thorazine. Christo-fascist racists are so 2008 apparently. Some skinhead told me all of this shit, he even had pamphlets and everything, the frickin’ fruitloop. He was my landlord’s fill-in gardener, and I realized just now I’ve learned something new. I told him my partner is a cop after feigning interest for a few minutes, and he blushed bright violet. I thought a vein was gonna pop for sure. Never pass up a good opportunity to saunter away from an obvious shithead.
Jeffree
Julian Bond has often spoken on behalf of LGBT equality. He may no longer be in charge, per se, but I believe he is still a relevant thought leader.
Many Hispanics are POCs. Let’s not confuse racial and ethnic identity. For example, my Dominican-born Aunt will describe herself as both Black and Latina. She is the descendant of slaves in Latin America, but not a descendent of the Africans forcibly brought to the US.
BreakTime
Yeah, Adman, like it’s whites shooting at cops when they get pulled over.
Chitown Kev
@adman:
Bernice King was supposed to be the head of the Souther Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) (but she turned down the post).
Very different organization from the NAACP (in fact, for much of their history the NAACP and the SCLC have been rival organizations).
Geez, does the “all blacks look alike meme” apply to organizations as well
adman
@Chitown Kev: This is from a press release on the NAACP site: (re: B. King’s election as pres. of the SCLC) “King continues the civil rights legacy of her father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was instrumental in the creation of the Conference and was its first President. Founded in 1957, the organization played an active role in the Civil Rights Movement.”
Ahh, it’s two different orgs, of course so she couldn’t possibly be using her position as the founder of the second orgs’ living legacy, and coincidental religionist, could she? You must think I’m as stupid as you wish all white people were huh?
“Geez, does the “all blacks look alike meme” apply to organizations as well”.
Well, if your need to smear someone by displaying your essentially vapid and self hating moral failures for all to see, then, yes. I believe you can stretch the concept of a meme that far. The question then becomes why would you want to of course, But then I’m not particularly concerned. We gays having self-loathing issues of our own to deal with and all. OK Kev? I really don’t care if people’s thoughts on black’s appearances burns holes in your ass all day long just by thinking about it, or leaves you gobsmacked and enlightened as it hasn’t any other. You wouldn’t share it either way here on this blog with the likes of us anyway, amirite?
Chitown Kev
But what does Bernice King have to do with the national chapter of the NAACP was my question? (that’s what YOU said).
Your previous post did not make the distinction between the two organizations. As your post stands, one would think that you were stating that Bernice King had pernicious influence with the national chapter of the NAACP and that’s factually incorrect
And besides, King decided not to take the position as SCLC head and they hired someone else.
Of course, the NAACP would post a notice that the daughter of Dr. King was to be the new head of a civil rights organization but you seem to have read it as an endorsement.
adman
@Chitown Kev: Blah blah, technicality, blah blah, I think you suck fucking cracker blah blah but I’m really AM gay and interested in the content on Queerty, I just think you suck because you’re a white ghey. You know what? You can fuck right off, and disclaim all you want while doing so, got it chief?
I know you hate dialogue on this site, you know it too, so you’ll never disclose anything personal about your self, flesh out your worldview, (besides I’m black, and you’re not) and if a great idea for our advocacy came to you, you’d be the last motherfucker to share with anyone here anyway, so what’s the point? Talking to you is like talking to banality in the face, while he’s coming his hair and giving me style tips. It’s just fucking pointless. Go to church, you fucking waste of weasel DNA,
adman
@BreakTime: Well, yeah it is like that. But it seems the “moorish Americans” are trying out shit ideas too, since they have a burning need to let us know that if they have a hard-on for us if we’re ever in a holding tank together, it’s out of hate. Or something. (?!?!) Crazy is crazy dude, what do you want? I should hold your hand while you get over the fact that your middle of the road shitheel “American Conservative” worldview is mental shit designed to entrap you into eternal penury? Fuck that, we’re so through. I’m over you.
See video link here, from the belly of the great informer of all who are always wrong, FOX News:
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/arkansas/070110-wm-shooters-claimed-to-be-%22sovereign-citizens%22?obref=obnetwork