Milwaukee – NAACP members are pressuring lawmakers to ensure that the next Supreme Court justice is a strong advocate for civil rights, officials said at the group’s annual convention Saturday.
“We very badly want to support a nominee committed to justice and fair play,” said Julian Bond, chairman of the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
“We don’t want to have to oppose a nominee who is opposed to those things,” he said. “… We hope to support someone who brings the country together rather than drives the country apart.”
Bond’s comments came on the opening day of the group’s 96th annual convention, where more than 8,000 people are expected to discuss issues such as reparations for slavery, renewal of the federal Voting Rights Act and ways of increasing membership.
The gathering comes as the group works to overcome budget shortfalls and recover from allegations that former president Kweisi Mfume played favorites among employees and mismanaged the national staff. It is also fighting an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, which claims that NAACP officials’ criticisms of the Bush administration violated the group’s nonprofit status.
Last month, the Baltimore- based nonprofit selected a new president, Bruce S. Gordon, who will start Aug. 1.
Today, a seminar will focus on who will fill the Supreme Court seat that will be vacated by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who announced her retirement July 1. NAACP members are being urged to contact the White House and their senators to influence selection of the nominee, said Hilary Shelton, head of the NAACP’s Washington branch.
