Braggs, 50, is expected to offer his resignation at the organization's annual meeting tonight. An interim will be named, then a new president will be elected in November and begin serving in January. Braggs has said he is resigning for personal reasons. We're respectful of that decision, yet regret the loss of his leadership in an important community organization.
The NAACP has been a pivotal organization throughout its history. It's been a force both for unity and for division between the African American and white communities. Yet it has always has been a dependable voice for spotlighting injustice, poverty and prejudice -- and for pushing solutions to overcome disparate treatment based on race and skin color. Those are important roles in communities such as Wilson, where legal segregation left a legacy of separateness that both African Americans and whites have to work to bridge.
Braggs, a minister and an Army veteran, has been president of the local NAACP since 2007, when the chapter reactivated after a period of dormancy. During that time the group was a force in the case of James Johnson, charged with the 2004 murder of a young Wilson woman. That case drew statewide attention. Strident rhetoric by William Barber, the state NAACP chapter president, inflamed community emotions. Yet the questions the organization raised were necessary given the circumstances.
One of Braggs' primary contributions has been a series of public forums with the school board this year which offered an opportunity for an open and productive dialogue on difficult issues such as drop-out rates, school funding and suspension policies. It's an example of his inclusive approach to leadership, one with value to Wilson -- and, we believe, to an organization such as the NAACP.
Mostly, Braggs has been able to be provocative as a leader without being openly antagonistic, and that has won him respect.
"I want to see us function in a spirit of oneness and to increase our coming together," Braggs said in 2006 in an interview with the Times. "I would like to establish some solidarity in the community to meet the needs of the community in the areas of homelessness, hunger and by providing some hope for our children." He was speaking as the new president of the Wilson County Ministerial Association.
Yet the vision of unity and helping one another he articulated is one many people in Wilson share. We think it's a powerful vision, one that belongs in the public arena. It's a spirit that can move hearts from one side to the other, and we hope that spirit is present in the next NAACP leader.
* Article appeared in Wilson Times editorial section written by Jon Jimison. Photo/ Wilson Times
11 comments:
Bragg's replacement if its who the community thinks it is will not have his spirit. It's a chapter already in turmoil every since it's reorganization. That's too bad for the community that needs the help of a strong organization. This local chapter is absorbed in internal fighting and strife instead of the needs of the people.
I'm going to the meeting. I want to hear what Braggs has to say.
Braggs gave an excellent presentation of accomplishments while he served as President. He also acknowledged the community and its leaders who have helped to shape Wilson for the good of all.
Braggs never should have resigned. He did a disservice to the community who was learning to trust him more.You don't resign when you're doing a good work in the community and there is still work to be done. No matter who may or may not like it.
I just wonder how this site is able to print articles from the WDT. Aren't there copyright laws to govern this? To read the WDT, one must either subscribe to newspaper delivery or online access. Either way, it costs. Yet this site is printing entire articles, as well as online comments, for anyone to read!?!
Sounds like somebody in the NAACP who doesn't like Rev. Braggs doesn't like the idea of the WT giving him kudos and appreciation and doesn't want others to know about his contributions to this community so now they want to question what can and cannot be republished in the spirit of the First Amendment and the Fair Use rule... This site gives credits on all the articles they post regardless of its source... Fox News, the Associated Press, the WT, etc... You got something you wanna say they'll post your story too. You just don't like the idea of Braggs being appreciated in this community for his hard work. The present NAACP nominee to be for President will never fill his shoes and never have the spirit he had for the community.
Ah, so when is it illegal to discuss the news of the day and tell people where you read it? In the past, people would do this sitting around a bar, but none of this does any particular harm to the original reporting.
Talking about the news is not illegal, but posting entire articles from a newspaper goes beyond "fair use" laws. The amount of the posted articles is 100%, much more than is allowed. Also, posting these articles is taking away profits from the newspaper. In some cases, this site has even posted comments from the WT's online comments, which subscribers have to pay to be able to view. I say it's copyright infringement.
The only thing its infringing upon is your simple minded self serving thoughts.Your comments about this community blog taking away from the profits is as assinine as you.
The circulation of the local newspaper extends far beyond the numbers of those who read this blog. Thousands of readers versus 16 followers is hardly any comparison.If anything it just may be lending a hand for increased readership from time to time to those who do not ordinarily get the paper on a regular basis.Blog readers get a portion of what the paper offers not the entire paper. If they want to view more they have an option to purchase the paper that day if they wanna. What you fail to obviously understand is local newspapers all over this contry do the same as far as pulling articles from various sources. Be sure to check out the columns section of the local paper...and they site their sources too. Giving the credit where its due.You say you call it infringement - freedom of speech gives you the right to call it what you want.
To whom it may concern: I am one of the bloggers for Wilsonian Voices and I have a subscription to the WDT. I doubt the WDT has any problem with Wilsonian Voices posting things. Seems to me you have way too much time on your hands and did not like the article on Rev Braggs. I have seen articles from the WDT posted on other sites also. As the previous person stated, there is no infringement. I actually receive the newspaper and with it comes the free online service. In fact, WDT is one of the few newspapers that charge for this service. Most are free. I don't think anyone is losing money, they are probably making money. And credit is given to where each article comes from. This is the world of the internet.
Well if its being shared via this community blog its very evident somebody is paying for it and has a subscription to the newspaper. Else they wouldn't be able to get the info to share with the rest of the community.It's public information. Some folks just don't want folks to have access to information in this town for whatever the reason. So what they're saying is if you want to know what's going on in Wilson, NC you are forced to get a subscription to the local newspaper? And if you live out of town and you want to know what's going on here you're forced to get a newspaper subscription. And folks transacting business or at least trying who want to know more about this place have to callthe newspaper and get a subscription? Yes, Wilson is on the edge of leading technology when it comes to communications - Broadband that.
Post a Comment