NAACP Losing Clout

The oldest American civil rights organization, the NAACP, has been suffering from diminishing membership since the loud protest days of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. As an example, in South Florida the black citizenry has ballooned while the local branches of the NAACP has seen plummeting membership.

From Miami.com:

The Miami-Dade NAACP, which boasted 5,000 members in the late 1980s, now has 500 to 600, said Adora Obi Nweze, the state NAACP president who founded the branch.

Membership in the Fort Lauderdale branch was about 2,000 in the mid- to late 1980s, said Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Carlton B. Moore, who was branch president then. As of last month, membership was about 250, according to one member.

Jeez! That's about an 80 to 90% decrease in South Florida. Nationally, NAACP leaders say the membership is down to 300,000 from one-half million several decades ago.

Reasons cited for the decline are that: 1) Activists from decades ago are dying of old age and 2) There is a lack of interest in young people toward community activism. However, corrective measures are planned. Membership campaigns targeting young people and young families will be conducted in the near future.

Just a thought, maybe the contemporary black community doesn't have near as much to complain about and protest against as blacks did in times past. It's generally recognized that, over the years, the NAACP has been quite successful in helping address many grievances regarding equality and discrimination.