Why the NAACP Cares About Campaign Cash

[Jefferson23]

NAACP President Cornell William Brooks discusses the connection between voting rights and campaign finance reform.

By Kathy Kiely | April 13, 2016


NAACP President Cornell Brooks says the Democracy Awakening events don't have to be as big as this 1963 civil rights march on Washington to have an impact. (AFP/Getty Images)

This week, Washington is playing host to the Democracy Spring and Democracy Awakening protests in which thousands are marching on the capital — some 400 of whom were arrested Monday after a long march towards the nation’s capital from Philadelphia — to make the case for campaign finance reform, voting rights protections and the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice. As they do, we’ll be reaching out to a range of experts on these issues, some of whom are participating in the actions and some of whom are not, to ask what they think it will take to effect real change.

Cornell William Brooks is the 18th chief executive of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation’s oldest grassroots civil rights organization. A fourth-generation ordained minister, Brooks describes himself as a graduate of Head Start and Yale Law School and an heir and beneficiary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision won by legendary NAACP litigator (and later, Supreme Court Justice) Thurgood Marshall. He spoke about voting rights, money in politics and why he sees both as civil rights issues.

We spoke with him earlier this month about the planned protests in Washington, DC. This interview has been edited for clarity.

remainder in full: http://billmoyers.com/story/why-the-naacp-cares-about-campaign-cash/

[KoKo]

1. Recommend....

[Rhiannon12866]

2. K&R! Important article!

So why do you think — given all of that history and what you’ve said about public feeling about the Voting Rights Act and the right to vote, why are we at the place where we are now?

Brooks: I think part of the challenge is there is this very dangerous mythology that has been crafted and created by people intent on suppressing the vote. For example, there’s this whole notion of voter fraud. Now, we know statistically empirically that one is as likely to meet the Tooth Fairy standing next to Santa Claus at the voting booth than encounter an actual incidence of voting fraud. We know that among literally hundreds of millions of ballots cast, a literal handful of instances of voter fraud. On the other hand, voter fraud that’s perpetuated — or perpetrated, I should say — by politicians, that we have more than a few examples of. So the point being here is we have a group of folks who created the mythology that we need government-issued photo IDs to suppress this civic scourge of voter fraud.

[Jefferson23]

3. I can't tell you how much I wish this man and his critically important message was

invited to all the msm outlets. Theft of your vote is criminal.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I certainly agree. Voter fraud is very rare, while voter suppression is not

Watching "Selma," the scenes where Oprah Winfrey's character (Annie Lee Cooper) was attempting to register to vote, were heart wrenching. The same thing happened to Rosa Parks and thousands more! These were real people! The fact that this is still happening today - in less obvious ways, but still happening, nonetheless - is a slap in the face to all who fought - and some died - for suffrage. This needs to be front page news because it's happening again and it's unacceptable in 2016.

[Jefferson23]

5. Yes, riveting, to say the least. There is much intertwined with the msm and they're

inept, incompetent for many reasons...complicit as well. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Since I've been on DU (2003), I have become a real news junkie

But more and more, these days, I find myself changing the channel. I don't remember the last time I watched the network (corporate) news, but I also find myself changing away from MSNBC more often, find it impossible to sit through one more Donald Trump speech, aired in its entirety, while we only get news bytes of whatever the Democrats have to say...