Since Doug Mann has been discussing the recent history of the NAACP, I thought I'd give my own historical perspective. I found a letter to the editor of the Strib that I wrote in 1998 about the NAACP, which I've copied below (it was not printed in the paper). Doug Mann has been very unhappy with the recent leadership of the NAACP, apparently because the leadership is so ensconced with the institutions of the city, that they have no interest in changing the status quo. I say, sure, change the leadership to more activist types, but please don't go back to the activities of the '90's. Ten years ago the NAACP was resolutely dragging racial harmony backwards. At least the recent leadership hasn't made things worse.
March 28, 1998 Editorial Department Star Tribune 425 Portland Ave. S Minneapolis, MN 55488 RE: Letter to the Editor For many years now, I have considered any endorsement of a politician by the Minneapolis Police Federation to be a demerit for that politician. The Federation has long been a hindrance to attempts to increase the professionalism or effectiveness of this city's police force. The last straw for me came when the Police Federation used Jerry Haaf's murder as a way to make political points. Because the Federation didn't like the mediation going on between a high-level Minneapolis police official with some Minneapolis gangs, they used the totally ridiculous argument that this mediation was related to Jerry Haaf's murder. Now I've added the NAACP to my short list of "anti-endorsements." Like the Police Federation, any politician will have to be pretty good to overcome an endorsement by the NAACP. For years, the NAACP has been fighting any attempts to better the education of Minneapolis kids, if it also decreases the racial diversity in any schools. I suspect that one of the reasons for the much discussed 91% failure rate of Black kids on one test is Minneapolis' top-down approach to education, which cuts off parents from the schooling process. Busing kids all over Minneapolis is one aspect of the top-down approach. When your kid goes to school on the other side of the city, it is tough to get involved with that school. And it is tough to find other parents with kids at the same school to discuss the issues, and to find parents to ally with to bring change to the school. And putting a kid on a bus for two hours a day takes away from both learning and playing time. Now the NAACP wants to bus the kids all over the county. Racial diversity is their mantra, and they seem to think it is the only thing that matters. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that separation of the Races is inherently unequal, they were talking about a government that systematically gave more resources to the White school than the Black school. In that culture of White supremacy, the justices were right - separation of the Races would always result in lower educational resources for the Black schools. The NAACP has turned that ruling into gospel. To them integration is a cure for all that ails. Any attempt to improve education, if it also increases racial segregation as a by-product, is not acceptable. So they won't give community education a chance. But what finally clinched the argument against the NAACP was their boorish behavior at the Board of Education meetings. The NAACP apparently believes that shutting down public meetings advances democracy. Compare the number of NAACP members who shut down the meeting to the numbers of votes each Board member received in the last election. I think the Board has a lot more right to claim they are representing the people. Everyone I voted for in the Board of Education election lost, but I still respect the rights of those who did pick these Board members. Mark V Anderson Bancroft REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
