Open Letter to NC Elected Leaders of Three Co-Equal Branches of the NC Government
by Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman 11/28/2017Dear Leaders of Three Co-Equal Branches of the NC Government:
In order to get my bearings as the newly elected leader of the NC NAACP (and as the President of the North Carolina Council of Churches) I respectfully request the pleasure of a meeting with you, as we prepare our plans for 2018. The NAACP will be 109 years old on February 12, 2018, and I know you are aware of its bulldog reputation. We exist for one purpose, to eliminate racial discrimination and prejudice from our society.
Today, while our nation and state are in the midst of great political turbulence, caused at least in part by racist voting and criminal justice policies and practices, there is a great need for honest political leaders to speak directly with each other and to listen carefully across the table of civility.
We have carefully tracked the public policies the N.C. Government has promoted, and how they impacted minorities, working and poor people for a long time. As you know, we have over 100 branches across the state, including several in the Appalachian region, We have friends on every college campus, and we have active relationships with over 200 organizations and churches that work with us as we seek to repair the breaches in God’s human family.
We believe that constructive working relationships are best built by working on issues where there is much agreement. We know that the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Branches have shown some interest in seeking new approaches to overhaul the criminal justice system. There is a growing feeling on the part of minorities that the police and the courthouse are against them. We get complaints every day to that effect. The fact that people call us, rather than elected officials at the local level, is more than a canary warning; it is a scream of despair that local and state systems of justice do not equally protect our people. Perhaps we can arrange meetings to discuss this issue, and explore other issues our members are concerned about.
Yours in the Struggle for Justices.
Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman
President, NC NAACP
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