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[[newspaper clipping]] THE NEW YORK TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1978 Financial Crisis Perils Activities of N.A.A.C.P. By STEVEN V. ROBERTS The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is gripped by a financial crisis that threatens to restrict its activities as one of the leading voices of blacks in America. Knowledgeable sources say that the official deficit is $680,000 but that it might hit $1 million by the end of the year. Sixteen employees, more than 10 percent of the staff, have been dismissed this year, and plans to add 10 new staff members have been canceled. A new communications department set up earlier this year has been dismantled and its staff let go. Change in National Mood Congressional decisions and legal rulings have made it more costly for civil rights groups to pursue legal challenges against Northern school districts. Public support for civil rights activities has gradually declined since the fervent days of the early 1960's. “Whites have bought the perception that we've arrived,” said Nathaniel R. Jones, the association's general counsel. “They interpret any additional step as taking something away from them.” Benjamin L. Hooks, the executive director, added: “The national mood is excessively conservative and certainly not supportive of programs for the poor and oppressed.” At the same time, he insisted, the crisis will not stop the association from speaking out or pressing lawsuits on a wide range of issues. Founded 69 years ago, the association reached a peak of influence in 1963, when national attention focused on the civil rights struggle and membership soared to 534,000. But even then, Mr. Hooks recalled, civil rights organizations always lived on a shoestring and a prayer. As the decade progressed, civil rights issues seemed to grow more confused and less urgent, and backers of the association, black and white alike, turned to other concerns. Another problem is that Congressional measures in recent years have crippled the ability of the Federal Government to pursue school desegregation cases. That leaves most of the burden to private litigants, such as the N.A.A.C.P., who have more work than they can can handle. Moreover, the Supreme Court has recently insisted that all plaintiffs prove that a school district has been guilty of intentional discrimination before the courts impose any remedy. “We can still prove these cases,” said Mr. Jones, the general counsel, “but the resources required are enormous.” Officials of the association's Chicago chapter say that the association has been unable to file suit against the Chicago school system because of the cost. Mr. Hooks, who served five years on the Federal Communications Commission, blames the news media for part of the association's fiscal problem. The press, he asserted, gives a lot of space to outspoken “gadflies” but very little to moderates such as the N.A.A.C.P. The crisis will not easily be solved. The association wants to increase its membership but thus far has not been successful. Raising dues for current members would eliminate some of the poorer blacks the association wants desperately to keep. Donations from corporations and foundations have grown in recent years, but they pose two problems. Some blacks say that any group that takes white corporate money will eventually mute its voice of protest. Foundations give money only for a limited number of years and then have to be replaced. [[/newspaper clipping]] [[boxed]] Benjamin L. Hooks NAACP Special Contribution Fund 1790 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10019 To help black Americans achieve freedom and justice, I enclose my contribution of $......................to the NAACP Special Contribution Fund Please make checks payable to NAACP Special Contribution Fund. Please check box if you wish receipt. Otherwise your cancelled check is your receipt. DETACH THIS PORTION AND RETURN WITH YOUR CHECK IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE PLEASE INDICATE ANY ADDRESS CHANGES I HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE NAACP SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION FUND SUPPORTING NAACP'S PROGRAMS IN: VOTER EDUCATION, LEGAL AND COMMUNITY ACTION, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, YOUTH WORK AND PUBLIC INFORMATION Date: _______________________ Amount: _____________________ Check No. ___________________ KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS [[/boxed]] 104
