Revived NAACP eager to get busy

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 | 9:59 a.m.

Bouyed by what one 70-year-old member called "a group of young, committed activists that really care," the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is ready for action after nearly two years in limbo.

The new leaders of the local chapter of the nation's oldest civil rights organization were briefed by an executive committee Saturday, amid optimism that earlier infighting, mostly surrounding elections, had been overcome.

Harriet Trudell, who at 70 has been a member of the organization for 25 years, said that commitment from the organization's new leadership brought it back together.

Leading the NAACP into its next phase will be president-elect Spencer Barrett, 45, a founder of the Nevada Interfaith Council for Worker Justice and pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Las Vegas.

The other officials given their charter to begin working in the organization are William Dean Ishman, vice president, Debbie Conway, treasurer, and Claudette Whitson, secretary.

Barrett said the organization will focus first on building membership. Though the NAACP didn't release membership figures for the new branch, about 140 people participated in the December election won by Barrett, according to Frank L. Berry, director for the Western region.

The local branch was disbanded by the organization's national office in April 2001 after a series of internal disputes. A 17-member committee has been working on reviving the branch ever since, culminating in Saturday's swearing-in and briefing.

The organization's first meeting will be March 15, and its newly elected officials will meet with public and private sector leaders at an invitation-only event at Texas Station on March 28.

Barrett commented on two issues involving minorities in the Las Vegas Valley that have been in the news recently.

One was racial profiling, which was in the news after a report showed that Hispanics and blacks were pulled over for traffic stops more frequently than whites. Two racial profiling bills have been introduced on the issue in the Legislature.

The other issue was MGM MIRAGE's annual report on minority hiring, released last week.

The racial profiling study did not include data on the officers, or the places or times involved in the traffic stops.

"Our view is that that (those) variables should be in future studies, to better determine whether there is racial profiling," Barrett said.

As for the casino company's report on hiring, he said this was "not a bad paradigm for other casinos."

The Rev. Marion Bennett, runner-up in the race for president of the local chapter and at 68 is a 53-year veteran of the organization, said he is looking forward to working on such issues as education and jobs for the minorities of the valley.

"The NAACP should be trying to secure a better quality of life for the poor and oppressed of Las Vegas ... and take responsibility for improving our situation," he said.