NAACP Generational Shift with Roslyn Brock at Helm

Finally, as reported by By Krissah Thompson, The Washington Post, The NAACP hands over reins to a new chairman | I have written my own response and congratulations... more HERE

As reported by The Washington Post, The NAACP selected health-care administrator Roslyn Brock as its chairman on Saturday, marking the culmination of a generational shift for the historic civil rights organization. For the first time in the NAACP's history, both its president and chairman are too young to have personally experienced legalized segregation.

Brock, 44, takes the helm from civil rights pioneer Julian Bond. She will guide the association along with Benjamin Jealous, who, at 37, is the youngest president in the NAACP's history. 

The shift comes as the association seeks to regain the influence of its heyday during the civil rights movement, and Brock said her goal is to expand the NAACP's base beyond its stagnant chapter membership and narrow its focus on a few specific civil rights issues: education, health care, economic empowerment, criminal justice and civic engagement.

Roslyn M. Brock, who joined the civil rights organization in college, succeeds Julian Bond, left. (Helayne Seidman For The Washington Post)

AAPP says: All of you know how I feel about the NAACP. I have been a critic of the NAACP for some time, yet at the same time I have scene glimmers of HOPE. I've talked about how the naacp is still facing a battle over its future. More Here about - my second take

It's interesting that I (along with other bloggers) just recently discussed how the NAACP gave Senator Reid an A in Congress report card | more HERE and HERE 

Yes, I have been critical of how Three Negros (stooges) meet with Obama at White House without an agenda, plan, strategy, out program in place. On this blog I have followed the NAACP for some time. I have pointed out, like so many other black folks how NAACP is out of touch! As an example, giving Harry Reid a grade "A" as a Senator.

Now we learn the NAACP selected health-care administrator Roslyn M. Brock as its chairman on Saturday, marking the culmination of a generational shift for the historic civil rights organization.  

AAPP: This is good News!

As reported by By Krissah Thompson over at The Washington Post, For the first time in the NAACP's history, both its president and chairman are too young to have personally experienced legalized segregation. 

Brock, 44, takes the helm from civil rights pioneer Julian Bond. She will guide the association along with Benjamin Jealous, who, at 37, is the youngest president in the NAACP's history. 

The shift comes as the association seeks to regain the influence of its heyday during the civil rights movement, and Brock said her goal is to expand the NAACP's base beyond its stagnant chapter membership and narrow its focus on a few specific civil rights issues: education, health care, economic empowerment, criminal justice and civic engagement.

"As we move forward, our greatest challenge really is to hone our message to make it relevant," said Brock, who joined the NAACP as a freshman in college. "We have to recognize and to own that we can't be all things to all people, and that there are new players in the space that we operate in who may be able to do some things better than we can."

Brock and Jealous, who was named president two years ago, are tasked with finding a way to reignite what they call the association's "front-line" activism. Jealous said both see their mission as no less pressing than the struggles faced by African Americans in other eras. 

AAPP says: Hmmm.... Here is my previous comments on the naacp 100 years... what next?

"We are the so-called children of the dream," Jealous said. "We were told that everything was fair and all we had to do was work hard. That worked well for many of us, but all of us realize that we are a part of a generation that is both the most murdered in the country and the most incarcerated on the planet."

Both Brock and Jealous said they want to see the NAACP catch up with technological advancements in social activism. Smaller, younger groups have built robust online activism networks. Jealous began last year to increase the NAACP's online presence, with live streaming of video and online campaigns in support of health-care reform and other issues.

AAPP says: I agree with one of the professors, quoted in the Washington Post article, "The jury is still out on the relevance of the NAACP, but this is definitely a step in the right direction," said Andra Gillespie, a professor of political science at Emory University. "The biggest structural challenge [facing the NAACP] is in an era where there is codified equality and you have a black president, you have to figure out what a civil rights agenda looks like. No one has figured that out."

I also agree with the responder to a recent blog post, regarding the NAACP's meeting with Barack Obama recently, when he wrote: 

"Looks like The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion traveled all the way to Washington, in the middle of a snow storm, just to get one hour with The Wizard Obama. Even Dorthy knew it would be a waste of time...that's why she stayed home. They could have gotten better results with a phone call. Many Blacks said it would be a "cold day in hell" before Obama would spend ONE day addressing our issues... they were wrong....it just took a cold day in Washington, and less than one hour to address our issues."  More HERE

As Krissah Thompson at The Washington Post, noted, although it had been a force in winning major civil rights battles for decades, the NAACP has been criticized in recent years for not remaining relevant. The average age of its 64-member board of directors is 58. Read more HERE

 

With all this said, we wish her the best in her new role....