March 12, 1998 | Read Time: 4 minutes
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People celebrated the election of the veteran civil-rights activist Julian Bond as chairman of its Board of Directors last month. But it almost immediately found itself mired in controversy over the roles of two trustees who have pleaded guilty to embezzling money from people not associated with the civil-rights group.
Mr. Bond, a one-time colleague of Martin Luther King, Jr., and a former Georgia legislator, edged out Joe Madison, a Washington, D.C., radio-show host, in a runoff vote, 29 to 24. The chairmanship of the 64-member board was sought by five candidates. Three dropped out after a preliminary round of voting.
“I want to make sure that the N.A.A.C.P.’s voice is heard wherever race is discussed,” says Mr. Bond. “I want to make sure that the organization is as efficient and aggressive as it possibly can be.” He takes over for Myrlie Evers-Williams, who stepped down after three years in the chairman’s post.
Shortly after winning the election, Mr. Bond became entangled in an ethical quagmire over his reappointment of James Ghee to the board’s 17-member Executive Committee. Mr. Ghee, a lawyer from Farmville, Va., pleaded guilty in 1996 to stealing almost $40,000 from a client’s estate, served six months in jail, and was stripped of his law license as part of a court settlement.
The board of the N.A.A.C.P. voted in May on whether to remove him as a trustee but failed to get the two-thirds majority needed for such action. In November, Mr. Ghee and three other board members accused of financial malfeasance were asked to step down voluntarily. Only one, the Rev. Henry J. Lyons, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, agreed to do so.
Mr. Bond has “made a big mistake,” says Marc Stepp, a trustee from Detroit. “He has embraced a convicted embezzler.” Mr. Stepp says he will attempt to bring another vote to remove Mr. Ghee from the board.
Says Mr. Madison: “I would think that out of 64 board members, there have to be people as qualified, if not more qualified, than James Ghee — with or without his ethical problems.”
Mr. Bond defends his decision and says that any question about Mr. Ghee was settled in May. “The issue of his fitness had come before this board in the past, and those who thought him unfit had failed to remove him,” Mr. Bond says. “He is a valuable addition to this board, and I believe strongly in redemption and second chances.”
Mr. Ghee could not be reached for comment, but he told the Associated Press that he attributed the outcry to “sour grapes.”
The N.A.A.C.P. also continues to be plagued by the lingering presence of another trustee, Hazel Dukes. Ms. Dukes was ejected from her board slot in November after she pleaded guilty to stealing about $13,000 from a leukemia-stricken associate, but she remains a trustee of the Special Contributions Fund, the N.A.A.C.P.’s fund-raising arm. She is also president of the N.A.A.C.P.’s New York State Conference.
Some board members worry that Ms. Dukes’s continued presence on a board that must court corporations, foundations, and other major donors could spell problems for the non-profit group’s fund raising. “She’s still on that board, and that’s a very sensitive situation,” Mr. Stepp says. “Here is another convicted embezzler sitting next to C.E.O.’s of major corporations.”
Ms. Dukes declined to comment on the concerns raised by her committee service.
The concern about fund raising is compounded by the fact that the N.A.A.C.P. is in the midst of a $50-million endowment campaign, of which it has raised only about $1-million. The campaign was originally expected to take five years.
“I can’t say we’re disappointed,” says Fred L. Banks, Jr., a trustee and Mississippi Supreme Court justice. “Neither can I say we are where we want to be.”
The N.A.A.C.P. has been struggling to put behind it financial problems that have plagued the organization since Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., stepped down as executive director in 1994 amid controversy over his use of charity dollars to settle a sexual-harassment lawsuit. Upon his departure, it was revealed that the organization had incurred almost $5-million in debts. Its books have now been balanced for two years straight, the charity says.
Despite the continuing financial and ethical problems, many N.A.A.C.P. officials hailed the selection of Mr. Bond as chairman and believe that he, along with Kweise Mfume, the president, will provide effective leadership for the organization.
“We have a great team,” says Furmin D. Sessoms, executive director of the Chicago Southside N.A.A.C.P..”From the picket line to the board room, both Julian Bond and Kweise Mfume can move comfortably and achieve results without creating rancor.”
