Black Conservatives: NAACP Must Be More than 'Advancement of Colored Progressives'

Two prominent black conservatives announced that they plan to attend the NAACP national annual convention in Orlando this weekend and intend to use their appearance there to pressure the group to denounce racial attacks against conservatives.

In a press release, FreedomWorks Outreach Director Deneen Borelli and Rev. C.L. Bryant, a former NAACP branch president, announced their decision to publicly make the request of NAACP leaders:

As a former NAACP branch president in Garland, Texas, I was punished for my outspoken belief that as a Baptist preacher, my rights come from God, not the government. The NAACP has strayed from the principles of empowerment and opportunity. We are here to remind the leadership and the membership that the NAACP stands for the “advancement of colored people,” not the “advancement of colored progressives.”

“As a black conservative, I’ve been attacked for communicating my values of individual liberty and economic opportunity for all Americans,” Borelli added. She continued:

The NAACP refuses to defend my right to express my views, despite my numerous attempts to contact their headquarters. Sadly, this once venerable civil rights organization has morphed into a political arm of the progressive movement, and it reserves its advocacy for left-wing causes and individuals. We are asking the NAACP to end their selective representation of black victims of racial discrimination, and to provide a voice for black conservatives to speak at their events.

The conference takes place on July 13-14 in Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center. FreedomWorks plans to air a screening of Bryant’s documentary “Runaway Slave” across the street from the convention on Monday evening from 6-10 p.m.