NAACP Embezzlement Case Leads to Charges Being Filed

A former executive for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was charged in Fulton County, Ga. for embezzling organizational funds. Judith W. Hanson and her former assistant, Sandra Douglass, are accused of embezzling $275,000 from the organization and using the money for their personal expenses.

The alleged embezzlement took place over a six-year period and was discovered by an internal investigation, according to police.

"Any malfeasance at whatever level is not tolerated by the NAACP," said Rev. Amos Brown. "But we do feel that this great organization should not be punished in the eyes of the public because of the actions of these two individuals."

Rev. Brown is correct. An institution as rich and storied as the NAACP is always a target of those who do not value the relevance of this historic institution. The NAACP has done a great deal for our country, and with an organization this large, there is going to be some misconduct. Such misconduct should not, in any way, reflect on the serious and sustained commitment to justice being shown throughout the organization.

Simultaneously, my greatest hope is that the NAACP does not lose its relevance as an honest soldier in the fight for civil rights. An organization that lives off so much corporate money each year is arguably unequipped to fight against the powerful interests that oppress the poor in America. For example, there have been a series of racially-charged incidents occurring in Wal-Mart stores around the country, but the NAACP never would and never could stand up to Wal-Mart. The bottom line (as I mentioned in an article about the Tom Joyner Morning Show), is that righteous and empowered activism can ultimately become weak and watered down when it is financed by the descendants of your historical oppressors. Dr. Martin Luther King speeches would never be "brought to you by McDonald's."

But at the end of the day, the NAACP deserves our respect and support. It is my greatest hope that they find a way to balance the need for corporate money with the more urgent need to honestly confront the ills that continue to plague black America. We have not yet overcome, and the NAACP needs to become an even greater player in the game of justice. At the very least, they must overcome the perception that millions of African Americans now feel that the NAACP is playing the game from the bench. The assessment is not fair and may not be accurate, but it certainly must be addressed.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition.