Each successive bit of news about the health of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People gets worse. Some had hoped that the dismissal in August of its executive director, the Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis, would have begun the NAACP's revival. But rather than departing without further ado, Dr. Chavis compounded the organization's problems by suing to get back his job.
The settlement the NAACP reached with him in October over his severance benefits was intended to finally end a disastrous phase in the NAACP's history. But less that two weeks later, faced with a deficit in excess of $3.5 million, and rising, the NAACP announced that it could no longer pay its employees.
The NAACP actually became comatose in July, after it was revealed publicly that Dr. Chavis had secretly paid Mary F. Stansel, a former staff member, $82,400 as part of a $332,400 settlement to avoid a sex-discrimination lawsuit. Well before that, it had, in fact, ceased functioning, and by now no staffer even pretends that the NAACP is working on any program. The branches, the NAACP's life blood throughout its history, providing its energy and raison d'etre, will continue to exist for a while longer, but without a national brain center, they too will soon die.
Yet despite the disillusionment many supporters feel, the national interest that the NAACP continues to attract confirms the reality that America needs an NAACP. No other organization in the 20th century has done more to strengthen the constitutional foundations of the nation. Not only was the NAACP known and respected in every state of the union, but its reputation as the conscience of America was heralded worldwide.
Saving the NAACP should therefore be a top priority for every American who is concerned about social justice. None have more responsibility for doing so than the NAACP board of directors. The crisis, despite Dr. Chavis' departure, should confirm for the board that nothing short of radical surgery will save the patient. Some maintain that the board should have dismissed its chairman, William F. Gibson, as well as Dr. Chavis. Even Dr. Gibson's departure now, however, will be insufficient to correct the NAACP's problems and regain public confidence.
Regardless of the merits of the current charges against him for allegedly misusing the NAACP's funds and providing poor leadership, Dr. Gibson should immediately resign as chairman. He can simply say he is doing so in NAACP's best interest. His position is voluntary, so relinquishing it should not be difficult.
But all 64 members of the NAACP board, not just Dr. Gibson, bear responsibility. For decades, the board has been criticized for being unwieldy and inbred. Now the NAACP's problems are so intractable that the board itself is incapable of correcting them. To reaffirm the organization's financial health and integrity, the board should recuse itself from any further administrative pretense and appoint a committee of distinguished citizens to develop and oversee recommendations for its revival and future.
Five of the most esteemed persons capable of leading such a mission are Robert L. Carter, a U.S. District Court judge in New York who was once the NAACP's general counsel; Nathaniel R. Jones, a federal appeals-court judge in Cincinnati who succeeded Mr. Carter as NAACP general counsel; Damon J. Keith, another federal appeals-court judge in Detroit with long interest in the NAACP; A. Leon Higginbotham, a retired federal appeals-court judge from Philadelphia; and Mary Frances Berry, who chairs the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Any of them who may be unable to serve could recommend others capable of restoring the most precious ingredient in the NAACP's long, successful history -- its integrity.
Denton L. Watson is author of "Lion in the Lobby," a biography of Clarence Mitchell Jr., the late director of the NAACP Washington Bureau.