Benjamin Jealous

“The operative word in NAACP is ‘double A,’ ” Mr. Jealous said. “We’re not the N-‘triple A’-CP, not the National Association for the Advancement of A Colored Person.”

Drawing laughter from the crowd, Mr. Jealous continued: “What decides whether or not we go out of business or not is the condition of the grassroots.”

The 35-year-old Jealous, the organization’s youngest president ever, was kept busy throughout the day, meeting and greeting NAACP members, young and old, heads of the various chapters and holding press conferences for both the mainstream media and Black Press. Based on the adage that no one knows where they’re going unless they know where they’re coming from, he reminded the convention crowd of the incredible success record the NAACP has acquired in its 99-year history and his intention to regain that greatness as the NAACP prepares to celebrate its centennial in February.

“We’ll be celebrating the centennial, but at the same time, we’ll be preparing for the future. The future for us will be rich,” Mr. Jealous promised.

He cited every major goal that has been reached by the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization that took courageous leads in abolishing the lynching of Blacks, desegregating the military, dissolving Jim Crow, integrating all social institutions in the country and contributing to the explosion of Black elected officials. The organization has further been credited with landmark court decisions like Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954 and the 1965 Civil Rights Act, organized by renowned NAACP figures like Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Walter White and others.

Mr. Jealous added how the NAACP has benefited not just Blacks, but the entire country.

“What makes us different from many organizations in this country is our track record for successfully transforming this country for the better; not just for Black people, for some people, but for all people in this country, over and over again,” he stated.

Mr. Jealous said he will take a focused fundamental approach at identifying the problems and developing strategies with the same methodologies adopted by NAACP’s most prominent contributors.

“We’ll set that goal and we’ll move towards it the same way that (W.E.B.) DuBois, (Ida B.) Wells, Walter White, Roy Wilkins and Thurgood Marshall did.”

As to the most critical issue in Black America, he gave an intangible answer.

“The lack of outrage is our No. 1 obstacle,” Mr. Jealous said. “We’ve got to keep our eyes on the prize just like our ancestors parents and grandparents did and say that this is what we’re going to accomplish even if it takes us a while.”

National board member Bob Lydia applauded Mr. Jealous’ commitment.

“He’s so dedicated, he’s not even taking money to speak outside the NAACP,” Mr. Lydia said. “You don’t find many people who will do that.”

Motivational speaker Kemba Smith introduced Mr. Jealous at the banquet with a special personal note of gratitude. Her story of getting caught up with a drug-dealing boyfriend that resulted in her being sentenced to 24.5 years in federal prison as a first-time non violent offender made national news in 1996, through a cover story in Emerge magazine. It was Mr. Jealous, who started the dialogue on Ms. Smith’s case with President Bill Clinton, who granted her clemency in 2000.

Education rose as the most sensitive issue Mr. Jealous addressed. He spoke of Black students as young as six-years-old being tasered by school security, high numbers of Black youths being arrested and an urban elementary and junior high school that has failed to produce a high school graduate in 10 years. More importantly, Mr. Jealous demanded of the audience, “Where’s the outrage?”

“Our No. 1 issue is making sure that quality education is a fundamental reality for every child in this country,” said Mr. Jealous.