The NAACP, the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization, adopted a resolution Tuesday condemning racism within the Tea Party at their annual national convention held this year in Kansas City, Missouri.
Among the accusations is that the Tea Party has been tolerating racism and welcoming white supremacists within their ranks.
Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau, said the final version of the resolution “calls on the tea party and all people of good will to repudiate the racist element and activities within the tea party.”
The Tea Party came under fire earlier this year towards the end of the controversial healthcare debate when black congressional members were allegedly spat on and called racial slurs by tea party activists.
NAACP President Ben Jealous said his organization takes no issue with the existence of the tea party, but it does have a problem with their acceptance and welcoming of white supremacists.
The mostly conservative and libertarian group is made up of community groups from around the country calling for limited government spending and downsizing of the government. They believe individual liberties are threatened by a government that has grown too large.
“I hope it will empower the tea party to actually look at itself and see that there are those who are noticing things that I think most tea partiers don’t want,” said Shelton.
For their part, conservative bloggers and Tea Party websites have lit up in indignation over the suggestion that they espouse racism. Included in their push back against the NAACP resolution are accusations against the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). Right wing commentators have long argued that the inclusion of the word “Raza” in the organization’s name is proof of the Latino group’s racism.
Adding her voice to the debate last night was former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a favorite political figure of the Tea Party. In an interview with Sean Hannity on the Fox network she said, “The Tea Party movement is a beautiful movement full of diverse people of diverse backgrounds,” “who don’t care that he (Obama) is half-white or half-black.”
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