Gordon's Departure From NAACP Could Lead to Bond's Ouster

Dissident NAACP board members are so upset with the resignation of President Bruce Gordon that more than two dozen of them are caucusing in an effort to oust longtime board chairman Julian Bond, several sources have told me.

But the organization has an even bigger problem: corporate supporters backing away from financial commitments. I learned late Monday night that several Fortune 100 companies that were close to giving multi-million dollar gifts have now backed away as a result of Gordon's departure after 19 months at the helm of the 98-year-old civil rights organization. Other corporate partners have also pulled multi-million dollar commitments off the table, according to a board member, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the deliberations.

While the news of Gordon's resignation, which was submitted two weeks ago, wasn't a surprise to Bond and a few other board members, it was shocking to others, who learned of the decision by way of media reports. To add insult to injury, sources say NAACP workers were alerted to the change by Google alerts to their Blackberries and e-mails.

While some board members said good riddance to Gordon, others weren't as dismissive.

"We have got to stop this," said one board member. "This is an outrage. We are not going to be treated like this."

Board sources said a flurry of phone calls and e-mails transpired between board members from across the country on Monday, reaching such a boiling point that they have compiled a list of at least five individuals to take over should Bond be voted out.

A board source said that according to the organization's bylaws, 15 board members could call a special meeting and give Bond a 10-day written notice of their intention to have him replaced. Such a move would be just as shocking as Gordon's departure because Bond, an icon in the civil rights arena who has served as chairman since 1998, was re-elected to a new three-year term last month.

Several sources have said Bond's micromanaging, and the executive committee, contributed to Gordon's frustration and decision to leave.

While Gordon initially spoke broadly of the board having too much influence in day-to-day affairs, he later told me that it was a much smaller number of board members that wanted to dictate how the organization should be run.

"There was a good number of (board members) that I considered to be enlightened and progressive," he said Monday afternoon.

In fact, the week Gordon was tapped to lead the NAACP in 2005, a source close to former president Kweisi Mfume, who also clashed with Bond, said, "He (Gordon) won't have any control.

An e-mail to Bond Monday seeking comment wasn't answered.

In his first correspondence to the NAACP board late Sunday night, Bond sent an e-mail saying: "I believed I had sent the memo in the attachment to you earlier today, but some have said they did not receive it … In these moments of transition, we must all pull together for the larger good of the organization we serve. I know I can count on you."

In his memo, titled "CEO's Resignation," Bond detailed a troubled relationship with Gordon almost from the moment he accepted the position.

"Mr. Gordon first tendered his resignation to me six weeks after he took the job of NAACP CEO, saying he thought he and the NAACP were not a good fit," Bond wrote. "I convinced him to stay aboard. Then on Saturday, Feb. 17, he tendered his resignation at the conclusion of the regularly scheduled executive committee meeting. Members of the committee asked him to reconsider, to no avail. He asked for a meeting with a small group of EC members in Baltimore on Friday, Feb. 23. Board members Vice Chair Roslyn Brock, Leon Russell, William Lucy and I met with him, again asking for reconsideration. When it became clear his mind was made up, we began a discussion of when we could announce that he was leaving and a change in NAACP leadership would occur. He told me he would get back to me last week, but did not.

"In a voicemail exchange with me while we were in Los Angeles for the Image Awards, he said that he would rather leave 'sooner than later.'"

In a story Monday in The New York Times, Bond said Gordon and the NAACP's 64-member board of directors disagreed about the direction of the organization. Bond said their goal was to maintain a social justice focus, while Gordon wanted to delve into the social services arena.

During an interview Monday morning on my radio show on WVON-AM in Chicago, Gordon said the NAACP could do both.

Now the greater question is if the NAACP will be able to maintain the momentum ushered in by Gordon by attracting a new CEO willing to step into a job filled with tremendous uncertainty, especially if a board revolt results in a new chairman assuming control.

Even Bond conceded that the NAACP could be severely impacted financially by Gordon's resignation.

"I do not need to tell you that this announcement comes at a difficult time for the NAACP," he wrote to board members. "Our pending move to Washington and our ambitious Centennial fund-raising campaign were heavily dependent on Mr. Gordon's skills and contacts. His absence will mean each of us must redouble our fund-raising efforts."

Roland S. Martin is a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago, and the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives On Faith." Please visit his Web site at www.rolandsmartin.com. To find out more about Roland Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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