National Association for the Advancement of Colored People stands for just that. It is one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the country and has done lots of good.
However, lately especially under Ben Jealous – NAACP has become the do nothing substantial civil rights policy agency. I am sorry, but “marriage equality” or “immigration reform” is not an African American civil rights issue. Oh, I don’t know maybe health disparity including autism, racial profiling, stop and frisk bias laws, education gap, high unemployment and economic injustice might be true African American civil rights concerns that still linger.
In other words, what NAACP should be fighting for is the right for African Americans to have equal access to the American dream and part of the American pie. This can be done nationally and state by state through legislation and resolutions. Instead Mr. Jealous has been on a media campaign on unnecessary things because he is media savvy and charming for the wrong reasons.
At any rate, Mr. Jealous abruptly announced yesterday that he was stepping down as
President and CEO of NAACP. Under President Obama – the first African American President – so much could and should have been accomplished by NAACP and CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) in Congress.
Instead, all we heard was we need a “Black Agenda” and blaming the president, and don’t get me wrong President Obama sure could use a binder full of qualified African Americans for his high level cabinet and staff which still lack enough diversity. But, asking him to fix the Black agenda is like asking someone to make the Indian Ocean sweet by putting one bucket of sugar at a time. Seriously – that is inhumanly impossible.
What might have worked is if Ben Jealous in collaboration with CBC actually wrote actual legislations and policies for the bias mass Black incarceration by making black and white crime punishment the same. By holding federal health and education agencies accountable for the grants and funding they give to state health and education departments, so that the resources are shared and African American communities are part of it. By repealing the stupid and bias stop and frisk – OK that happened by a judge. By supporting families and children rather than big union bosses and eliminating this persistent education gap between white and black students.
If you are asking what does this have to do with Autism – well autism disparity exist in every state at every level by almost every state and Federal agency. Therefore, eliminating and having tangible policies that not only decreased disparity but eliminated it by having specific language then there would probably be no need for bloggers like me.
So, in my humble little opinion – I am glad Mr. Flashy Jealous is leaving NAACP. One of my favorite African American professors also wrote his own opinions yesterday. Take a read here.
Thanks!
Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Minority Advocate