NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. It was founded in 1909 to work on behalf of black people. Members of the NAACP have referred to it as The National Association, confirming NAACP's pre-eminence among organizations active in the Civil Rights Movement since its origins in the first years of the 20th century; little need was felt to specify which "national association." Its name, retained in accord with tradition, is one of the last surviving uses of the term "colored people", now generally viewed as dated and derogatory.

Critics and supporters

Some critics of the NAACP, particularly conservatives, complain that the organization takes liberal positions on issues which either have no obvious relationship to the civil rights struggle or minorities, or which they believe to be at odds with the cause of freedom. For example, the NAACP strongly supports stringent gun control laws, feminist issues, gay rights issues and opposes voucher programs that have been termed "school choice."

Related Topics:
Conservative - Liberal - Gun control

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NAACP supporters cite the disproportionate effect of gun violence on minority communities, and argues that the Second Amendment to the Constitution is intended to protect the right of a state to maintain a militia, not unrestricted individual rights to bear arms, particularly handguns and assault weapons. With regard to women's issues and gay rights, the NAACP also contends that support of equal protection under the law for women and homosexuals is wholly consistent with its history of civil rights activism and advocacy. The NAACP also has a history of supporting equal access to public education and opposes the siphoning off of federal and state education dollars by way of vouchers and other means to fund private, parochial or charter schools, arguing that citizen tax dollars should not go to such institutions— especially at the expense of funding the nation's public school systems. Further, it contends that vouchers for a relative handful of students cannot solve the problem of failed schools and will not move the nation closer to quality education for all children.

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Bush declines to speak to the NAACP

In 2004, President George W. Bush (2001—) became the first sitting U.S. president since Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) not to address the NAACP when he declined an invitation to speak. The White House originally said the president had a scheduling conflict with the NAACP convention, slated for July 10-15, 2004.

Related Topics:
2004 - George W. Bush - Herbert Hoover - White House

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However, on July 10, 2004, Bush said he declined the invitation to speak to the NAACP because of harsh statements about him by its leaders. "I would describe my relationship with the current leadership as basically nonexistent. You've heard the rhetoric and the names they've called me." Bush also mentioned his admiration for some members of the NAACP and said he would seek to work with them "in other ways."

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The Internal Revenue Service informed the NAACP in October, 2004 that it was undertaking an investigation into its tax-exempt status, focusing on a speech given by Julian Bond at its 2004 Convention in which he criticized President George W. Bush. The NAACP has denounced the investigation as political retaliation for its get-out-the-vote activities and has refused to supply the IRS with the information concerning its activities it has demanded.

Related Topics:
Internal Revenue Service - Julian Bond - George W. Bush

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