Sun coverage: Changes at the NAACP

Obama as point of pride, caution

The barrier-shattering candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama is cause for pride and praise, but it does not diminish the need for bold civil rights activism, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond said during a speech launching the organization's 99th annual convention.

NAACP head hopes to mobilize voters

By age 6, Benjamin Todd Jealous had read through all of the books about African-Americans in his elementary school library and inquired why there weren't more.

NAACP questions sludge study methods

The Maryland NAACP questioned last night the methods used in a government-funded study in which fertilizer made from treated human and industrial waste was put on lawns of East Baltimore rowhouses.

Jackson urges NAACP to push voting issue

MILWAUKEE - Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson capped off a day of grass-roots political strategizing yesterday by imploring NAACP members to urge their congressional representatives to extend soon-to-expire provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

NAACP calls for 'fair play' in selection of Supreme Court justice

MILWAUKEE - The new Supreme Court justice must be a strong advocate for civil rights, and NAACP members are pressuring lawmakers to make that a priority in the selection process, NAACP officials said at the group's annual convention yesterday.

Bush, NAACP remain apart as convention opens

As NAACP delegates gather this weekend in Milwaukee for the group's 96th convention, it will mark a year since Chairman Julian Bond's searing critique of the Bush administration, triggering an IRS audit that nearly cost the organization its tax-exempt status.

Retired Verizon executive Gordon is picked as next NAACP leader

ATLANTA - Saying a dedication to civil rights activism is in his blood, former Verizon executive Bruce S. Gordon was elected as the NAACP's next president and chief executive officer yesterday.

NAACP continues culture of male leaders

When the vacancy opened this winter for president of the nation's oldest civil rights organization, many within and outside the NAACP said it was time a woman held the job. After all, men have overseen the group's day-to-day leadership since 1916.

Scandal at top of NAACP felt little by local organizations

Allegations of persistent sexual favoritism by then-NAACP President Kweisi Mfume have barely caused a ripple among some of the organization's branches - illustrating, some members say, the large disconnect between the national organization and its local leaders.

Affair with staffer a mistake, Mfume says

Attempting to distance himself from allegations that he created a hostile environment for women at NAACP headquarters, U.S. Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume yesterday called his affair with a female staffer at the organization a brief, "boneheaded" mistake.

Analysts assess Mfume damage

Kweisi Mfume's bid for the U.S. Senate has not been mortally wounded by reports of sexual harassment and favoritism under his watch at the NAACP, political experts said yesterday.

Michael Olesker: Mfume turns to face his chief foes: those memos

KWEISI MFUME no longer runs for the U.S. Senate against Benjamin Cardin. For the moment, Mfume runs against Mfume. Internal memos have surfaced from his years as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, alleging sexual harassment and favoritism. This is unsettling news for the nation's oldest civil rights organization, and it is potentially murderous for a political campaign.

Pattern of abuse claims at NAACP kept quiet

The same day in May 1999 that Kweisi Mfume abruptly announced that he would not be a candidate for mayor, an internal investigative memo was sent to top officers of the NAACP describing allegations of Mfume's mistreatment of female subordinates at the organization's Baltimore headquarters.

Mfume says he was not forced out

Kweisi Mfume denied yesterday that he was forced to resign as president of the NAACP amid allegations of nepotism and sexual harassment, saying someone is trying to derail his campaign for U.S. Senate.

Allegations could hurt ex-NAACP head's Senate bid

Allegations that Kweisi Mfume promoted women at the NAACP based on personal relationships with them could harm his fledgling campaign for Senate, political experts and several allies said yesterday.

Mfume says he'll run for U.S. Senate seat

Kweisi Mfume, the former national NAACP president and Baltimore congressman who rose from impoverished beginnings to become one of the nation's most prominent black leaders, said yesterday that he is a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Hundreds apply for NAACP top post

A search firm hired by the NAACP has interviewed more than 200 applicants vying for the top job at the nation's oldest civil rights organization, while NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and others have come up with their wish list of additional candidates. For now, the process is shrouded in secrecy.

NAACP refuses IRS demand for documents

Charging that an IRS audit was "motivated by partisan politics," NAACP Chairman Julian Bond announced yesterday that the civil rights group would not comply with the federal probe alleging Bond had inappropriately intervened in the presidential campaign by criticizing President Bush.

President has meeting with Mfume

After four years of refusing to meet with the nation's oldest and largest civil rights group, President Bush sat down at the White House yesterday with NAACP President Kweisi Mfume.

Committee named to find new NAACP president

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond named a nine-member search committee yesterday to replace Kweisi Mfume, who announced last week his resignation as president of the Baltimore-based civil rights group.

NAACP'S future holds conflict between old, new attitudes

In the NAACP's heyday, church ladies used to sign up members every Sunday, and families gave newborns lifetime memberships as baptism gifts.

Diplomat or firebrand: NAACP mulls next leader

The sudden departure of Kweisi Mfume from the NAACP came as a jolt to many civil rights advocates and scholars.

Michael Olesker: Writing off people as hopeless is unfair, as Mfume's life shows

KWEISI MFUME arrived at the NAACP headquarters nine years ago as Benjamin Chavis made for the door, hoping nobody noticed the shadow of scandal and unpaid bills trailing him. The whole country noticed. But Chavis, the ousted president, wouldn't answer questions about the $3.2 million in debt he left behind. He and some board members had to get away, he said that final morning, and so they did -- in chauffeur-driven cars waiting outside. It was the only case in history of driving to the poorhouse in a fleet of luxury limousines.

NAACP stability restored, Mfume moves on

Kweisi Mfume announced his resignation as president of the NAACP yesterday, calling it "the most rewarding and most fulfilling position of my life" while leaving a hole at the top of the organization he saved from scandal and the brink of bankruptcy.

Mfume's nine years

Abrupt departure leaves observers wondering 'why' and 'what's next'

Kweisi Mfume's abrupt departure as head of the NAACP left some observers wondering where he will go - and whether there's more to why he left.

Hayes no stranger to interim role

Dennis C. Hayes is ice to Kweisi Mfume's fire. A decided introvert compared with the outgoing - and magnetic - NAACP president.

Gregory Kane: Mfume might be glad to go, but the NAACP will miss him

KWEISI MFUME had that "Lyndon Johnson" gleam in his eye.

Highlights from the NAACP's history

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is the nation's oldest civil rights organization. In 1986, the NAACP moved its headquarters from New York City to Baltimore.

Mfume quitting NAACP position

Kweisi Mfume, a former Baltimore City councilman and U.S. congressman who has led the NAACP for the past nine years, is expected to announce his resignation from the civil rights organization today.