By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher, The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
Derrick Johnson, as President of the National NAACP, has been a disappointment, and a person guilty of malfeasance in Office. Plainly speaking, he has not shown the support nor interest in the hard work of local chapters and their volunteer leadership that such
sacrifices and commitment deserve. He is an example of one who has been in Washington, D.C. so long that he appears to have forgotten who put him there and why.
Under his leadership, the National office does not return telephone calls even from the Black Press which is the entity that carries the stories of the NAACP more than CNN. In the case now concerning the suspension of the San Diego Branch President of the NAACP, numerous calls have been made to Mr. Johnson throughout this year concerning the issues confronting the San Diego community like the wrongful
nomination and appointment of former San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten to U.S. Deputy Secretary or Education.
Mr. Johnson endorsed Marten without even calling his local chapter to vet Ms. Marten. Even after he had repeated notice of problems with that nomination, he still refused to talk to local leadership. But it appears that Mr. Johnson has a history of not talking to local chapters.
The National Board of Directors of the NAACP should do its membership a service and take a very close look at how Mr. Johnson has handled the San Diego Branch, and the failure to follow the stated rules of the NAACP in the manner in which it investigates and handles issues concerning local chapters. The Board of Directors should examine very closely the step by step handling of the San Diego Branch, all documents of complaints and line those actions up with the Constitution and Bylaws of the National NAACP and its relationship with its Branches. Perhaps such an investigation can explain what the rest of us fail to find or understand. We do know that the suspension of Mrs. Maxwell has two purposes: one to get hands on the bank accounts and two, to ensure that she can not run for re-election in the special election which has been called for early 2022.
This is in spite of the fact that 2022 is an election year for the Branch.
The assigned Administrator has proven to be no more than a puppet for the larger agenda of getting the funds on hand and placing friends in leadership positions rather than the earnest people doing the daily volunteer services.
The National Board of Directors has fired presidents before when it thought such action was necessary. Let’s not be afraid to do the right thing now and get rid of Derrick Johnson. The organization and its service is bigger than the ego and personal needs of its current President.
