SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump will not attend the NAACP's annual conference. (Photo: AP)
'Message Loud and Clear' Says NAACP After Latest Trump Snub
For second time, and unlike predecessors, president refuses to attend civil rights organization's annual gathering
Jul 20, 2017
President Donald Trump's decision to decline an invitation to attend the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 108th annual convention, "underscores the harsh fact: we have lost--we've lost the will of the current Administration to listen to issues facing the Black community," said Leon Russell, the group's board chairman.
"It's extremely unfortunate...though I must admit, his refusal to attend our convention is not totally unexpected."
--Leon Russell, NAACP"It's extremely unfortunate that during these pressing and urgent times, the President has chosen to turn his back on the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization--though I must admit, his refusal to attend our convention is not totally unexpected," Russell said.
"This is the second time President Trump has refused an offer to speak at our annual convention," he added. "We get the message loud and clear."
NAACP is a bipartisan organization, and Trump's absence is a notable departure from his predecessors. In recent years, the group has hosted former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan.
This is far from Trump's first brush with civil rights advocates. During his campaign, Trump provoked furious responses when said stop-and-frisk practices in New York and Chicago "worked very well." He also nominated former Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as attorney general--despite the fact that Sessions couldn't even get approved as a federal judge during the Reagan administration, because of troubling comments and actions regarding race. This is the second year in a row that Trump has bailed on the NAACP's annual convention. Last year, as a presidential candidate, he also declined their invitation.
In a press briefing Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn't offer any insight into Trump's decision, and only said: "My understanding is that the invitation has been declined for this year," and the administration "would certainly like to be able to continue" a dialogue with the group.
"When President Trump is ready to listen to us and the people we serve, we will be here," Russell said. "Until then, the NAACP will continue to strive for an America free from racism and continue to speak truth to power."
Trump's latest snub comes amid a steady stream of fatal police shootings that continue to rattle the Black community, and the president's choice--in a nation where institutional racism remains deeply embedded in schools, public services, and the court system--sends a strong message about his priorities.
The NAACP is United States' oldest civil rights organization and claims more than half a million members and supporters. Its mission "is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump's decision to decline an invitation to attend the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 108th annual convention, "underscores the harsh fact: we have lost--we've lost the will of the current Administration to listen to issues facing the Black community," said Leon Russell, the group's board chairman.
"It's extremely unfortunate...though I must admit, his refusal to attend our convention is not totally unexpected."
--Leon Russell, NAACP"It's extremely unfortunate that during these pressing and urgent times, the President has chosen to turn his back on the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization--though I must admit, his refusal to attend our convention is not totally unexpected," Russell said.
"This is the second time President Trump has refused an offer to speak at our annual convention," he added. "We get the message loud and clear."
NAACP is a bipartisan organization, and Trump's absence is a notable departure from his predecessors. In recent years, the group has hosted former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan.
This is far from Trump's first brush with civil rights advocates. During his campaign, Trump provoked furious responses when said stop-and-frisk practices in New York and Chicago "worked very well." He also nominated former Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as attorney general--despite the fact that Sessions couldn't even get approved as a federal judge during the Reagan administration, because of troubling comments and actions regarding race. This is the second year in a row that Trump has bailed on the NAACP's annual convention. Last year, as a presidential candidate, he also declined their invitation.
In a press briefing Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn't offer any insight into Trump's decision, and only said: "My understanding is that the invitation has been declined for this year," and the administration "would certainly like to be able to continue" a dialogue with the group.
"When President Trump is ready to listen to us and the people we serve, we will be here," Russell said. "Until then, the NAACP will continue to strive for an America free from racism and continue to speak truth to power."
Trump's latest snub comes amid a steady stream of fatal police shootings that continue to rattle the Black community, and the president's choice--in a nation where institutional racism remains deeply embedded in schools, public services, and the court system--sends a strong message about his priorities.
The NAACP is United States' oldest civil rights organization and claims more than half a million members and supporters. Its mission "is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination."
President Donald Trump's decision to decline an invitation to attend the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 108th annual convention, "underscores the harsh fact: we have lost--we've lost the will of the current Administration to listen to issues facing the Black community," said Leon Russell, the group's board chairman.
"It's extremely unfortunate...though I must admit, his refusal to attend our convention is not totally unexpected."
--Leon Russell, NAACP"It's extremely unfortunate that during these pressing and urgent times, the President has chosen to turn his back on the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization--though I must admit, his refusal to attend our convention is not totally unexpected," Russell said.
"This is the second time President Trump has refused an offer to speak at our annual convention," he added. "We get the message loud and clear."
NAACP is a bipartisan organization, and Trump's absence is a notable departure from his predecessors. In recent years, the group has hosted former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan.
This is far from Trump's first brush with civil rights advocates. During his campaign, Trump provoked furious responses when said stop-and-frisk practices in New York and Chicago "worked very well." He also nominated former Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as attorney general--despite the fact that Sessions couldn't even get approved as a federal judge during the Reagan administration, because of troubling comments and actions regarding race. This is the second year in a row that Trump has bailed on the NAACP's annual convention. Last year, as a presidential candidate, he also declined their invitation.
In a press briefing Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn't offer any insight into Trump's decision, and only said: "My understanding is that the invitation has been declined for this year," and the administration "would certainly like to be able to continue" a dialogue with the group.
"When President Trump is ready to listen to us and the people we serve, we will be here," Russell said. "Until then, the NAACP will continue to strive for an America free from racism and continue to speak truth to power."
Trump's latest snub comes amid a steady stream of fatal police shootings that continue to rattle the Black community, and the president's choice--in a nation where institutional racism remains deeply embedded in schools, public services, and the court system--sends a strong message about his priorities.
The NAACP is United States' oldest civil rights organization and claims more than half a million members and supporters. Its mission "is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.