R U RELEVANT?

Last week I had the pleasure of being the guest of the Chairman of the NAACP at its 100th Anniversary Convention in NYC. Focusing on the serious challenges of underrepresented people in America while in a wonderful city like New York is hard. We were feted at MOMA, Metropolitan Museum, Gracie Mansion and the Governor’s house. We were welcomed by Pelosi, Schumer, Rangel and Bloomberg. We were thanked by the 44th President of the United States.

Julian Bond, known as the “dean of civil rights,” is the big thinker in the civil rights movement today. He reminded us that the NAACP was founded by a multi-racial, multi-faith group of concerned citizens in 1909. “At the NAACP, we know colored people come in all colors.”

When asked about the relevance of the NAACP in a “post racial” Obama era, Julian responded, “We’re not the National Association for the Advancement of One Black Person, we’re for all…. While we have a brother who can walk in the front door of Air Force One, his daughters can’t swim in a pool in Philadelphia.” He pointed out that after we won World War II we didn’t dismantle the military; we didn’t eliminate the National Organization for Women because we have a woman as Speaker of the House. For the full presentation, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxtwZ-ofACo

At a time of dwindling financial resources, some nonprofit organizations may go out of existence. The NAACP is doing the right things to run in the black*. Hopefully there won't be a need for an NAACP 100 years from now. If you would like to know more of what they are doing correctly, call me.

* Pun intended.