N.A.A.C.P. Scrutinizes Branch Over Honor for Clippers Owner

[alp227]

Source: NY Times

When the racist words of the Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling spilled out in a recording last week, the incident not only caused the N.B.A. to ban Mr. Sterling for life, it also drew attention to the N.A.A.C.P.’s small Los Angeles branch, which had been planning to honor him with a lifetime achievement award this month.

Officials from the California state conference of the N.A.A.C.P. are reviewing why the branch was planning to give one of its highest awards to Mr. Sterling, who has been accused of making racially offensive comments and discriminating against blacks and Hispanics before, a person familiar with the review said.

At the center of that investigation is the man that many people familiar with the Los Angeles branch say spearheaded the effort to honor Mr. Sterling, Leon Jenkins, its president. Under Mr. Jenkins’s leadership, the branch gave Mr. Sterling a similar award in 2009. On Monday, Mr. Jenkins announced that it had rescinded its award to Mr. Sterling, whose foundations have given the Los Angeles branch at least $45,000 since 2007, records show.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/us/donald-sterling-honor-turns-spotlight-on-naacp-branch.html

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NAACP just posted on Facebook:

Interim President and CEO Lorraine C. Miller has accepted the resignation of Leon Jenkins from his role as President of the L.A. branch of the NAACP. We are committed to developing more stringent guidelines for our branches. We appreciate everyone who has engaged with the NAACP on this issue.

[yeoman6987]

1. Damn Sterling

He is causing people to lose their jobs. I hope he is happy. What a turd.

[Ash_F]

2. 45k can be vital money for a non-profit

Not saying they could not have done better, just putting that out there.

It seems like Jenkins had other issues too.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. Well, accepting money from a racist is one thing

You look at the person, say "Alrighty!!!" Then cash he check.

You do NOT give them award.

[Cha]

3. Ooops.. busted! Glad the light is being shown and Leon Jenkins resigned.

thanks alp!

[nyabingi]

4. The NAACP has ceased to exist as a credible

political force in the lives of Black people since the end of the civil rights era in the late 60's. They haven't done anything since then except stage marches to protest the Confederate flag and other cosmetic issues that do nothing to "advance" the life situation of people of color.

Where has the NAACP been in the fight against the prison industrial complex, the mass incarceration of generation after generation of Black males for the last four decades (remove enough people and you also remove their money-earning potential, remove them from their children and generally destroy neighborhoods), the fight against unjust drug laws and the "war on drugs" which has targeted primarily Black males? They haven't done shit.

The NAACP in its present incarnation needs to be dissolved because it's nothing but a money-making scheme for its directors and people like Leon Jenkins. Disgraceful...

[alp227]

7. Google search for keywords like war on drugs and prison on NAACP.org.

Sheesh this post was quite a lot.

[Ken Burch]

6. The NAACP was hoping that, just once, Sterling would bring them to the game.

just once...was that TOO MUCH to ask?

[gejohnston]

8. I would like to know that too

from what I understand, he has a long history of racist deeds.

[Pterodactyl]

9. The heads of the other branches should force that branch to be sold.