Fox News recently brought up a very interesting topic when they mused whether the NAACP, the largest and oldest civil rights organization, supports the Democratic Party, and most specifically President Obama, over the desires of its membership.
It can definitely be viewed that way since the NAACP suddenly and curiously came out in support of same-sex marriages publicly only after President Obama took a stance on the issue. Wall Street Journal editorial board member Jason Riley put forth the argument that the civil rights organization made their loyalty toward Obama and the liberal wing of the Democratic Party more important than the concerns of its constituents.
The majority of African Americans simply do not yet support same-sex marriage, with support lowest among older members of the group. This is particularly true for the membership and supporters of the NAACP, whose average age is much higher than the rest of the black population in the U.S., and where many are members of the black church, which has always given homosexuality a cold shoulder.
Was there a poll taken? Did the NAACP ask its older members what their thoughts were on the issue before making a public declaration? If the discussion in social situations is any indication, the collective black view on the issue of same-sex unions mirrors its stance toward homosexuality in general, and that is the African American community has been slower to embrace the LGBT community than the rest of the nation.
So the question is: was this a move made by NAACP leadership to stay in good graces of the Obama administration, or did they actually act on the desires of the vast majority of its membership and supporters?
–terry shropshire
