'We won't stop now,' Nantambu vows
Just days after he released a letter critical of African Americans who oppose his tactics, local NAACP President the Rev. Kojo Nantambu on Monday released a second letter, this one directed to elected officials.
In it, Nantambu laid out a series of issues he said are indicative of racial disparity in the Charlotte community, and he vowed to keep pushing.
“Racial hatred are the fundamental causes for which all NAACP battles have been fought for over 102 years,” the letter concluded. “And we won’t stop now, ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never, On ward [sic] Forever.’ ”
Among the issues noted, Nantambu listed disparities in government contracts; efforts at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to consolidate taxi vendors, which Nantambu says will put independent black drivers out of work; cuts in charlotte-Mecklenburg schools that disproportionately affect urban neighborhoods and the clustering of low-income housing in poor communities.
“Some say ‘Charlotte can not be a bastion of racism, look at all the African Americans that are elected officials,’ ” he wrote. “I say ‘We have a black president now and I have seen more racism and hatred in America, in the streets and in Congress than anytime over the last 40 years and Charlotte’s no exception.’ ”
The letters come at a time when some in the African American community – even some who see validity in his basic assessments – are questioning Nantambu’s tactics.
In January he called for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students to stay home after the district designated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a snow makeup day. He has labeled Charlotte a “racist bastion” and suggested an economic boycott of the city. At school board meetings, he and his supporters have been arrested after noisy demonstrations.
In a story published in today’s Charlotte Observer, Democratic state Rep. Kelly Alexander Jr., a former state and local NAACP president, questioned the tone of Nantambu’s letter but said he believes the civil rights veteran is contributing to the greater dialogue.
“...Ultimately,” Alexander said, “it's a good thing."
In Nantambu’s first letter, he was critical of African Americans who questioned his call for a school boycott on MLK day.
“The sad part about it is many of you really don’t know anything about Dr. King and his righteous crusade to end racial injustice and discrimination, to end segregation and separation of the masses for such reasons as race, religion, color or creed,” he wrote. “All you know is what "Massa" promotes and what "Masssa" prefers.”
Colette Forrest, a former NAACP board member who opposed Nantambu’s call for a boycott, said she didn’t want to read the letter. She's heard excerpts and feels the language will only hurt the community.
"We don't need any more divisions because basically black folks, white folks, we all need jobs," she told the Observer. "All this racial rhetoric, conquer and divide, is not solving these problems. We need economic vitality."
Got news to share with Qcity readers? Email us at editor@qcitymetro.com.
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter below
For Email Marketing you can trust
|
|
Other Ways to Share |
![]() |
Will Smith smacks reporter in Moscow |






