CIVIL RIGHTS CONFERENCES PUSH THE ENVELOPE
BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX
When the NAACP met in New Orleans in early July, their theme was “Speaking
Truth To Power.” They made headlines both because president George W. Bush
declined the group’s invitation to speak, and because they said they would
boycott the St. Louis-based Adams Mark Hotel chain. Announcing the boycott,
the NAACP’s chief executive, Kweisi Mfume, told conference delegates, ``It is
time for all of our membership, and quite frankly all Americans of good
conscience to stop giving Adam's Mark their money or their business.
The Adams Mark has collided with African American hotel guests in a
number of instances. In 1999, five guests sued the chain for treating them
differently than white guests, requiring them to wear orange wristbands
during a Black College Reunion gathering, and also requiring cash deposits
that were not required of whites. The Justice Department also filed a suit,
suggesting a pattern of discrimination. A settlement, which included
mandatory diversity training, was reached. One court ordered the hotel chain
to pay $8 million to those who were discriminated against, but another court
threw the cash settlement out. That’s not all – though some say the Adams
Mark has cleaned up its act, members of several African American professional
organizations who stayed at Adams Mark hotels in the 1990s still have a bad
taste in their mouth from the poor treatment they experienced.
The Adams Mark has come swinging back, filing suit in Baltimore to
prevent the NAACP from boycotting them. Kweisi Mfume says the lawsuit is
nothing more than an attempt at intimidation, a blatant attempt to stifle the
voice of the NAACP and others engaged in legitimate public criticism of this
company's discriminatory practices.” The boycott and its fallout suggest
that there is far less complacency in the civil rights movement than there
has been in the past decade, with organizations ready to impose economic
sanctions and fight for the rights of African American people.
Similarly, the Urban League conference has been pushing the envelope by
insisting that economic matters be discussed. The issue of reparations and
the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance was discussed at the Urban League meeting, with
University of Maryland political scientist Ron Walters suggesting that if the
United States refuses to send a high-level official delegation to the
meeting, people should stay home. Though the world conference will take
place less than a month from now, the Bush Administration seems still
undecided about the role it will take in the conference. So far, its
involvement has been minimal, with just $250,000 committed to the conference,
compared to more than $6 million spent on the Beijing women’s conference in
1995.
Like the NAACP conference, the Urban League conference is making
headlines because the League, like the NAACP, seems more aggressive in
pushing an agenda. While the Urban League was able to secure Mr. Bush’s
participation in their conference (the President, I suppose, couldn’t snub
every civil rights group in the nation), some delegates planned protests at
the Washington Convention Center. “I support the Urban League, but I oppose
this President’s position on almost everything,” one of the protest
organizers said.
Along with the NAACP, the Urban League focused many of their efforts on
issues of economic opportunity. Their job fair drew more than 70 Fortune 500
companies and more than 500 exhibitors. Workshops on job training programs,
economic literacy, and wealth creation were featured. Most importantly,
though, a series of well-known speakers issued calls for action around policy
issues. UN Secretary General Kofi Anan’s remarks on the importance of the
World Conference Against Racism seemed a direct challenge against the boycott
eh United States has threatened. His comments energized some of the
conference delegates and reportedly have both the White House and some
members of Congress rethinking involvement in the World Conference.
Civil rights conferences are often criticized for being more talk than
action, but the NAACP and Urban League conferences seem illustration of ways
that talk can turn into action. In both cases, thousands of members came
together to talk about issues of economic empowerment, both at home and
abroad. In both instances, conference proceedings have led directly to
action, or active consideration of agendas.
The twenty-first century civil rights movement will have to combine the
tactics of the past with the realities of the present. The struggle, now, is
not only about legal segregation, but also about the many ways access is
denied to African American people. The NAACP has pushed the envelope with
its boycott of the Adams Mark hotels. The Urban League’s focus on economic
opportunity and its nurturing of young leadership is also moving in the right
direction.