Naacp of North Carolina

On the Passing of John Hope Franklin

Watch a video interview Dr. Franklin gave exclusively to the NC NAACP in 2007.

In the Christian Bible, there is a verse, describing a forerunner, which simply says “There was a man named John.”  We have now learned that a man named John Hope Franklin, who has been a gift to the entire world, a forerunner in the struggle for freedom, has now slipped gracefully into the hands of God.  We, who knew Dr. Franklin, referred to him with the greatest respect because of the truth he told about our history which continually gave us hope that if we own the past we could correct our tomorrows.

Voting Rights Ruling By U.S. Supreme Court Ignores Ugly Racist History

Update March 25, 2009: NC Attorney General Roy Cooper attended People of Color Lobby Day at the State Legislature with NC NAACP activists to announce he is filing a "friend of the court brief" in Supreme Court voting rights case. See Associated Press coverage.The NC NAACP release can be found at the end of this article.

The U.S. Supreme Court's latest interpretation of the Voting Rights Act is a "direct blow" to the state's efforts to heal the "racist wounds of the past," the NC NAACP says. In a 5-4 decision March 9, 2009, the high court ruled that the Voting Rights Act does not apply to legislative districts that are less than 50 percent minority. The decision means that a congressional district in the Wilmington area will have to be redrawn and that minorities could lose representation. See coverage in the Raleigh News and Observer.

A N&O editorial, "A seat, a setback: Supreme Court ruling invalidating the shape of an NC legislative district will dilute minority voters influence" supports the NC NAACP position.

Below is a joint statement of Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, President of the NC NAACP; Amina J. Turner, Executive Director; and Mr. Al McSurely, Legal Redress Committee Chair.

Activists Fight Small Power Plants As Health Hazard

Building manure-based power plants in rural areas would expose blacks and poor people to arsenic and other pollutants, the NC NAACP contends. ""Everyone wants jobs, but you have to be against a job that on the back end may bring disease," said William Barber II, president of the state NAACP. "I guarantee you if they attempted to put it in a suburban community or a higher-income area, it would be an all-out fight against it." Read the story.