The New Face of the NAACP

(Feb. 22) -- In an era some consider to be post-racial, the 101-year-old National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is struggling to remain relevant.

On Saturday, the group addressed the problem by choosing 44-year-old health care executive Roslyn Brock to replace Julian Bond as its new chairman. Brock's selection was hailed by many as a "generational shift" for the NAACP, which two years ago named its youngest president in history, Benjamin Jealous, now 37.

With its selections, this is the first time in NAACP history that the organization's president and chairman are too young to have experienced legalized segregation firsthand, The Washington Post points out.

Bond, who is 70 and marched in the civil rights movement, told The New York Times that it was a "time of renewal" and "dynamic new leadership" for the NAACP. And Brock seemed to agree.

"We have a 48-year-old president in the White House, an NAACP president who was 35 at the time of his election and a 44-year-old board chair," she told the Times. "The wisdom of those who stood the test of time got us to this point, and the youth are who will ensure the future legacy of this organization."

But Patricia Sullivan, an Associate Professor of history and African American studies at the University of South Carolina and author of a book about the NAACP, says the organization remains "extremely relevant." She said that while most Americans "want to say society is post-racial," inequities based on race persist in areas like health and education. "People look at the civil rights movement as an inevitable progression, and it wasn't," Sullivan said. "You have backsliding."

But while it's legacy is remains potent, the NAACP is not without controversy. In the past decade, the NAACP has suffered from scandal, dwindling membership and an identity crisis brought on by legal gains in civil rights. Dianne Pinderhughes, a professor at Notre Dame University, says the NAACP is "It's the one organization you're likely to find in most communities, however effective it is and however it's not. But that's not the same thing as saying everybody is satisfied with it."

And over the weekend, other, some striking aspects of the changing organization emerged as Brock laid out her plans for the NAACP and spoke about the organization's next 100 years.

A "Multi-Ethnic" Organization

The NAACP was founded in part to end the lynching of blacks in the U.S. But on Sunday, Brock spoke of a "multi-ethnic" organization.

"There is a misconception that the NAACP is a black organization. It's not. It's a multiracial, multi-ethnic organization," Brock said Sunday, according to USA Today. "When we say people of color, we're really speaking to the issues of people who have fallen through the cracks and have been left out of prosperous society."

The NAACP on YouTube

To increase its membership among young people, the NAACP has turned to social networking. Last year, Jealous launched a YouTube campaign to create buzz on the Web. But today on Twitter, some were skeptical about the NAACP's ability to call young people to action for anything.

"Let's see what you've got, Ms. Roslyn Brock," one woman tweeted. "Good luck in cutting through the apathy of the college community."

Charles P. Henry, Chair of the African American Studies Department at the UC-Berkeley, said in a phone interview Monday that the NAACP's "bureaucratic structure" could make that difficult, and has "been a real drag on grassroots" efforts to organize.


No Love Lost for Congressional Black Caucus

Last week, the Congressional Black Caucus was the subject of an embarrassing New York Times story that linked the group's fundraising campaigns to potential ethics violations, and "companies whose business is seen by some as detrimental to its black constituents," like cigarette companies and beer distributors. It also highlighted questionable spending on events for the group, like a $350,000 annual tab for a decorator.

But in an interview with The Root, Brock defended the caucus.

"Just to single out a catering bill is disingenuous," she said. "It's really unfair, because you don't add up all the monies for what they do throughout the year. It's interesting to me how our traditional organizations are under assault for their relevancy, but it makes organizations more tough and more politically savvy when they're under fire.

"We will continue to stand with our sister organizations, the Urban League, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and others, as they try to advance our common agenda," she said.

If the Tea Party Can Do It, So Can the NAACP

The organization looks likely to continue the marches and protests that were central to the civil rights movement decades ago. "The Tea Party used marching effectively," Brock told The Grio, a Web site for African-Americans. "It's long been a tool in our arsenal."