Benjamin Jealous “selected” as NAACP’s new President
Categories: African-American, Justice/Law Enforcement
Written By: Shawn Williams
The NAACP has selected 35 year old Benjamin Todd Jealous as its next President and CEO. Jealous was the only candidate presented to the group’s 64 member Executive Board.
This quote by CNN says a lot about the vote.
When the 34-21 vote was announced, “no one clapped or celebrated,” one board member said after the meeting in Baltimore,Maryland.
The story goes on to say, “Some board members wanted to hear from two others whom the search committee identified as finalists, but Jealous’ supporters prevented it, sources said. ”
Roland Martin writes more about the vote at Essence.com.
Another (board member) said “when we left the room, many were in disbelief.”
Those who didn’t support Jealous say he was marked as the primary choice of board chairman Julian Bond, who began calling board members two weeks ago to line up support.
There was vigorous discussion to postpone the vote to allow the board to hear from the other two finalists, but that effort was beaten back by those who backed Jealous on the board.
In a subsequent article, Roland says “According to multiple board members, the search firm employed by the NAACP to find a new leader, the San Francisco-based Hodge /Niederer / Cariani / Lindsay, ranked Jealous second, and Dallas megachurch preacher, the Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, first” Roland also says Haynes desire to remain as Senior Pastor of Friendship-West in Dallas, raised a “red flag among members.”
Throughout these last few weeks I was warned “this is a highly politicized process.” It’s obvious that I felt Dr. Frederick D. Haynes would make the best President, but then again I thought Ben Gordon was good also. And knowing how the NAACP is, I still figured he would at least be presented to the Board, though reports from the very beginning said otherwise.
I can only think that the selection of Jealous and his support among the NAACP brass i.e. Julian Bond means more business as usual. I’ll leave it at that.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I’m willing to give Ben a chance. It’s not his fault that some of us feel the way we do.
I am curious about his statement in the AP article that said “his plans for the group include ensuring high voter turnout among blacks in the November election and pushing civil rights.”
Barack Obama will ensure high black voter turnout, as he has all over his country. Work on the other stuff.
Here’s a suggestion list:
*Dunbar Village
*Sean Bell shooting and others
*Philly Police beating
*Getting more black bloggers to be able to cover the 2008 DNC from the convention floor. We got ONE state blogger out of 50 states although we helped to start the national Obama movement. And that was after people in the DNC selection process approached us to apply to the state blogger pool facilitate diversity.
*Thinning out the 65-member board (wait, can’t do that).
May 17th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I know you wanted Rev. Haynes to be the head of the organization. It might have worked out for the best if this kind of cantankerousness was involved. Maybe Pastor Haynes is meant to be a mentor and guide to Black bloggers… you never know.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
My gut says your right Shawn.
May 19th, 2008 at 7:08 am
I would encourage everyone to give Ben Jealous a chance. What the Association needs right now is financial security and to repair their relationships in the philanthropic community. They can’t do anything without money and that’s one place that he will need to start. I am also looking forward to them choosing a young and enthusiatic candidate who will bring fresh ideas and a new outlook.
Consider that there may have been people who want to keep things like they always have been and Ben will breathe new life into the organization. Remember Julian Bond works on at a university and is more open to new ideas than many of the people on that board. Maybe that is what they were against. Hiring another pastor who is unwilling to give up his pastorship looks more to me as “business as usual”
May 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
When Julian Bond presented one person to the board for the interview ???… I call that old school mentality. You tell me the board who is made up of the 34-21 voters were not presented with the other two candidates and could not make an informed decision? If not just maybe there needs to be changes on the board as well. Maybe they don’t work at a university and are not open to new ideas.
July 12th, 2009 at 7:24 am
So to everyone that supported Jealous, where was he when that child was on the news crying about being kicked out of the pool in Phildelphia last week for being black? I went to the Essence Music Fest in New Orleans and saw Jealous there, smoozing with celebs. But I have not seen any passion from him or the NAACP about this incident and I am sorry we donate money for him to handle crisis like this not to fly first class to New Orleans. The NAACP had no real presence in New Orleans. Nobody cared about him, or listened to that boring speech. Why do people think the NAACP is outdated and do not support it? Because of their lack of focus on what is important and by putting a 35 year old man who has probably never experienced the pain of racism the way so many other qualified candidates for this job have, that could have used their memories and passion for fighting injustice to recognize immediately what is important and what is not.
I still cannot believe how slow, and boring his speech was in New Orleans. I sat there like many of us did thinking “this is who they say leads our people?”
Jealous if you have any ounce of dignity you would go off and do a talk show or something, and let a strong black man or woman that remembers what it was like to be afraid to look a white person in the eyes for fear of lynching have that job, that would have saved the organizations money by not flying first class and staying in snazzy hotels, to go to a music fest that had nothing to do with racism, and drove like Dr. King would have, to that pool site, and demanded that the Mayor, Senator and local African Americans picket that pool.
You are unworthy of the title you hold and the NAACP will never get the respect is used to until they make the changes necessary to gain black Americas support again.
I cannot believe everyone is acting like they have not thought or said behind closed doors what I am going to say right here - Jealous has never been approached by a white person and called the N word and he never will. He does not represent any of us, is too young to know what he is doing and can only pretend to know what it is like to be a “obvious” black man in America that is rejected for his skin color.
Deal with the truth people, because I said what you are thinking and you know it.