National NAACP refuses to do the work required for progress for black people

by Cornell McCleary, http://www.formerwtvnbadboy.typepad.com/

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and a majority of the 64-member national board wants to continue giving lip service for progress instead of taking responsibility for making progress happen.

Outgoing President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Bruce S. Gordon officially, and finally, told the world what most African-Americans already knows.  The national NAACP does not want to do anything but look good and get in peoples face.  The real challenges facing blacks, black on black crime, babies having babies, lack of job skills and the likes, the national leadership wants no part of that.  Even though their list of what whites are doing to hinder the progress of blacks is short, the battle cry of the national leadership is still "We shall overcome."

Personally, I can feel Gordon's pain.  I was the former Chairman of the Ohio NAACP's Legislation and Lobbying Committee and the former 1st Vice President of the Columbus Branch of the NAACP in the 80's.  I left the NAACP for the exact same reason that Gordon did.  The old guard is lazy and comfortable and, for the most part, compromised.  The progressive leadership of the local chapters is often frustrated because of the lack of support from the national office.

Many national so-called leaders justifies their continued do nothing approach by declaring what Julian Bond has recently declared, that few American blacks would quibble that equality remains an unfulfilled dream.  Equality will always remain an unfulfilled dream for everyone.  The American experience has never been or will never be about equality.  The American spirit is about parity and opportunity - the potential to gain.

The American Constitution is about individual rights not group's right.  It is flat out impossible to apply group rights and not go against the grain of the Constitution with few exceptions.  The Civil Rights Act of 1866, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave blacks parity rights in America.  Now, as individuals, blacks must personally do the heavy lifting to achieve individual prosperity and success.

This is not to say that there is no disparity due to race.   Disparity does  in fact exist but, there are very few institutional solutions to the problems that exceed the viability of personal achievement, development and spirituality.  A great house is built one brick at a time.  A great nation also requires each and every one of us during our personal pursuits and endeavors to contribute as a matter of will, our best efforts for the collective that we call America.

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