Anderson@Large

Certain People

Early on its history, some dismissed the NAACP as the National Association for the Advancement of Certain People.

When I discovered Wells Fargo is a “lead sponsor” of the NAACP’s 101st annual convention, I wondered whose interests were being advanced.

I shared the information with a number of folks, including African American Political Pundit and Dr. Boyce Watkins.

As noted in his blog post, Boyce recently shared the stage with NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous:

I was with President Jealous at the Measuring the Movement Black Leadership Forum in New York City last week. I didn't speak to him for very long, but we were on a panel together. One of the key points of the forum was to ensure that leaders are held accountable for their decisions as they pertain to the African American community. Jealous, nor anyone else, is an exception to that rule.

Boyce continued:

While I do not accuse the NAACP of any ill will, the truth is that it has got to answer some questions. If you’re suing someone one minute and taking money from them the next, that is going to lead others to have certain presumptions about what happened behind closed doors if there is no transparency in the negotiations and resolution of the conflict. To make things simple, it would be much easier for Wells Fargo to give $200,000 to the NAACP than it is to deal with the multibillion-dollar task of righting its wrongs against the entire African American community. According to data released by the White House, more than 57 percent of the home loans sold to African Americans in the year 2006 are at risk of foreclosure (more than 60 days without a payment). As stakeholders and supporters of the NAACP, the African American community has every right to know the ins and outs of this conversation:

1) How much money did Wells Fargo give to the NAACP?

2) What is it getting in exchange for that money?

3) Exactly how is it planning to change its operating practices? Has it made any formal legal commitments or just a vague promise to “partner” with the NAACP (we all know what it means when a company “partners” with an organization)?

4) Why are there several city and state governments around the nation who have NOT settled their lawsuits with Wells Fargo? (An amended complaint was just filed against the company by the city of Baltimore, which has seen dramatic abandonment allegedly as a result of Wells Fargo’s lending practices). Is the city seeing something that the NAACP has chosen to overlook? If so, why?

5) How is Wells Fargo going to be held accountable by the NAACP in the future? If it is getting money from the organization, it is only logical that the group be expected to properly monitor Wells Fargo's behavior.

Bottom line: Is the NAACP’s agreement with Wells Fargo in the interest of the African American community or just certain people?

Remembering Dr. Dorothy I. Height

Civil rights icon Dr. Dorothy Irene Height will be funeralized today at 10 a.m. ET. 

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama will attend Dr. Height’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. The President will deliver the eulogy.

By Presidential Proclamation, flags will be flown at half-staff at the White House and other public buildings:

As a mark of respect for the memory of Dorothy Height, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that, on the day of her interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on such day. I further direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

The National Cathedral is located about five miles from the headquarters of Dr. Height’s beloved National Council of Negro Women.

I spent Election Day 2008 at NCNW, where the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation monitored voter turnout and problems at the polls.

Dr. Height joined us to watch the election returns. When the election was called for Barack Obama, she shared her thoughts:

Many people lost their lives working to get the vote. For a while we received the vote but we weren’t using the vote. We learned how to use that vote and you see the results tonight.

In many instances we are the swing vote. Just because we are a minority doesn’t mean that we can’t make a difference. We all should be proud that we have a man like Barack Obama. He prepared himself and he carried himself throughout this with dignity and strength. Whether they voted for him or not, they have to acknowledge that he has been presidential all the way.

As to the meaning of a President Obama:

It means that what I’ve worked for has not been in vain. I see in Barack Obama a sense of the future and realize the strength that’s in our people. A young man who’s so devoted, so sincere, and so able to do what he wants to do.

The jockeying has begun to claim the civil rights mantle, but no one can fill her Ferragamo pumps. When the good Lord made Dr. Height, he broke the mold.

Let’s count our blessings that we had her for 98 years. Dr. Height was a drum major for justice who has earned her place in American history and in our hearts.

NAACP Hooks Up With Wells Fargo

In 2007, I applauded when the NAACP filed a class action lawsuit against 15 of the nation’s largest subprime lenders for “systematic, institutionalized racism in sub-prime home mortgage lending.”

The defendants included Wells Fargo Bank & Company.

Though Well Fargo’s role in the subprime mortgage scheme was well-known, the predatory lender was the “title sponsor” of Tavis Smiley’s annual talkfest.

Smiley claimed ignorance. He finally severed his ties with Wells Fargo when the glare of media spotlight got too hot.

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous was an outspoken critic of Wells Fargo. So you can imagine my surprise when earlier this month, I read the NAACP dropped its lawsuit against the predatory lender:

The NAACP announced today that it is ending its lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Since 2007, the NAACP has filed lawsuits against more than a dozen of the largest financial institutions alleging violations of the Fair Housing and Equal Credit Opportunity Acts and racial discrimination.

Unlike other pending lawsuits that seek monetary damages on behalf of individual borrowers, the NAACP lawsuits seek to change mortgage lending industry behaviors.

So what did the NAACP get? Wells Fargo endorsed the NAACP’s “Banking Principles on Fairness and Lending.”

Jealous said:

We brought these lawsuits against lenders to change and stop patterns of racial discrimination and other mortgage lending behaviors that have shattered American lives, families, and neighborhoods. We developed the NAACP banking principles to ensure that our country moves toward higher rates of sustainable homeownership. We commend Wells Fargo for taking a leadership role by being the first to embrace our principles, and hope this effort becomes a model for collaborating with other financial institutions.

Query: how will the NAACP enforce the agreement?

Jon Campbell, Wells Fargo’s executive vice president for social responsibility, told the New York Times it will be a while before there’s any change in their lending practices:

But now we have a partner, and we can look at ourselves through their lens. Will there be tweaks? We hope so.

So that’s what the NAACP got? Hope.

The NAACP is headquartered in Baltimore. On the same day the civil rights organization dropped its lawsuit, the City of Baltimore filed an amended federal complaint accusing Wells Fargo of steering blacks into subprime mortgages.

City Solicitor George Nilson said:

Our purpose in bringing this lawsuit remains the same as it always has been. We intend to expose Wells Fargo’s illegal, discriminatory practices to the light of day in a court of law. We want to make sure Wells Fargo reforms its lending practices, and takes specific, constructive steps to assist the City in repairing the damage caused by the many unnecessary foreclosures its irresponsible practices caused.

Fast forward to yesterday. I visited the NAACP’s website to confirm the dates of its annual convention. I nearly spilled my coffee when I saw this banner.

 

While no money changed hands on April 7, Wells Fargo is now a “lead sponsor” of the NAACP’s 101st annual convention.

Less than two weeks ago, Jealous participated in the “Measuring the Movement” national leadership forum. The air was filled with talk of holding “everyone accountable from government to our own institutions.”

Will the NAACP be held accountable for its relationship with a predatory lender?

Or was all the talk more hot air?

Venmo the Money

I am a conference junkie. So last weekend, I skipped the Penn Relays and instead attended Bar Camp News Innovation Philadelphia, an unconference where like-minded folks shared and learned in an open environment.

I got some practicable tips on SEO and SMO. I learned about some new tools, including Venmo, a social payments platform to safely and securely send money or make payments.

Unlike PayPal Mobile, you don’t need an iPhone or any other smartphone. And best of all, it’s free.

Jameel Farruk says their business model is built on trust and peer-to-peer relationships.

Venmo was founded by two friends who “hope to make life easier by allowing friends, families and businesses to exchange money and make cashless payments in person, using a cell phone.”

An individual effectively becomes an authorized credit card merchant.

Say you’re out to dinner. The bill arrives and your friend says he doesn’t have any cash and will reimburse you later. Now you can say, “No problem. Venmo the money.” Within minutes, you will have his share of the bill.

With an ordinary text message, you avoid the awkwardness of having to remind him that he owes you money.

Raising Arizona

On Friday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1070, “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” the toughest anti-illegal immigration bill in the country. The law will take effect in midsummer.

Arizona has an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants. The law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. Police are required to question people about their immigration status where reasonable suspicion exists a person is in the country illegally.

It is now a state crime for immigrants not to have in their possession an alien registration document.

BTW, federal law requires that every alien over age 18 have in his personal possession at all times documentation such as a permanent resident card, aka “green card,” that shows proof of legal residency in the United States.

During a press conference, Brewer said the citizens of Arizona have been patient long enough:

We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act.

But decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation.

[…]

Today – with my unwavering signature on this legislation – Arizona strengthens its security WITHIN our borders. **Let me be clear, though: My signature today represents my steadfast support for enforcing the law — both AGAINST illegal immigration AND against racial profiling.

This legislation mirrors federal laws regarding immigration enforcement.

Earlier Friday, President Barack Obama criticized the measure as “misguided”:

Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. And that includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threatened to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.

In fact, I’ve instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country.

Like 70 percent of Arizonans and 60 percent of voters nationwide, I support the measure. The federal government has failed to secure our borders and enforce existing laws. So Arizona lawmakers did the job Congress won’t do.

That said, I agree with opponents that the standard of “reasonable suspicion” an individual is unlawfully in the country is too vague. The provision is not likely to survive a legal challenge.

The amnesty lobby is concerned that other states will raise Arizona and crack down on illegal immigrants. While Congress is unlikely to act, amnesty supporters will raise the issue to mobilize Latino voters for the midterm elections.

But for every action, there is a reaction. A push for amnesty will alienate independent voters and further energize Republicans who are champing at the bit to vote in November.

Cheaper to Keep Steele

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele just can’t keep his foot out of his mouth.

Steele told a group of students there is no reason for black folks to even think about the GOP:

You really don’t have a reason to, to be honest -- we haven’t done a very good job of really giving you one. True? True.

[…]

We have lost sight of the historic, integral link between the party and African-Americans. This party was co-founded by blacks, among them Frederick Douglass. The Republican Party had a hand in forming the NAACP, and yet we have mistreated that relationship. People don’t walk away from parties, their parties walk away from them.

For the last 40-plus years we had a “Southern Strategy” that alienated many minority voters by focusing on the white male vote in the South. Well, guess what happened in 1992, folks, “Bubba” went back home to the Democratic Party and voted for Bill Clinton.

The GOP’s Southern Strategy is old news. In an appearance before the NAACP’s annual convention in 2005, former GOP chairman Mark Mehlman apologized for walking away from black voters:

Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong.

So Republicans are asking, WTF?! Why is Steele dredging up the past now?

Steele’s latest gaffe comes on the heels of criticism that he is livin' la vida loca.

Hotline On Call reports the RNC spent more than $340,000 on its semi-annual meeting in Hawaii.

The Washington Times, meanwhile, reports the RNC’s finances are in disarray:

Barely 6 1/2 months before the midterm elections, an internal investigation by the Republican National Committee has revealed that the organization is beset with questionable financial management and oversight and is spending more money courting top-dollar donors than it raises.

The investigation found that the Republican Party’s national governing body is losing money on its major-donors’ fundraising program -- spending $1.09 for each $1.00 raised, according to RNC members privy to the investigation’s findings. It typically costs about 40 cents for every dollar raised from donors who give more than $1,000.

The RNC reportedly is seeking an independent review of its spending.

But here’s the bottom line: With the midterm elections looming, it’s cheaper for Republicans to keep Steele rather than get caught up in a divisive fight to remove him from office.

Earth Day 2010

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day of celebration and service.

A Native American proverb reminds us it should also be a day to reflect on our obligation to future generations:

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

So, get involved.

And be good to the planet because “when it all ends up, you have to go back to Mother Earth.”