By Rosetta Miller-Perry
News Analysis
The decision by NAACP Tennessee State Conference President Gloria Sweet-Love to suspend without warning Nashville branch President Venita Lewis leaves the local office without leadership or direction. The action was taken this past Saturday, but not announced until Tuesday Oct. 16. Sweet-Love did this through an email rather than after the results were released of any official inquiry or investigation, and she did not personally contact Lewis regarding the action. Instead, Sweet-Love spelled out her reasons in a press release, claiming among things that it was done because the NAACP “would not allow anyone to cause harm to our membership or perpetuate mistruths about the actions of our members.”
But Lewis maintains that these claims were only a smokescreen, and that the real issue regarding Sweet-Love and the local branch was one of intent and direction. Lewis says she wanted to make the Nashville office more inclusive and community-oriented, recruit more young people, expand the focus regarding education and scholarships, and not be a branch mainly focused on sending people to the national convention once a year and holding social functions.
Lewis claimed that the local branch needed to restore ties within the community it was supposed to be serving, and not be controlled by a handful of elite members. She accused Sweet-Love of targeting her because their visions of what the Nashville chapter should be doing were vastly different. She also raised questions of Sweet-Love abusing her authority and interfering in a local branch’s business. At a time when there are numerous issues confronting Black communities both locally and nationally from voter suppression and gerrymandering to housing and food shortages, attacks on affirmative action programs, and a shortage of opportunities for Black contractors and entrepreneurs, an internal statewide NAACP dispute is not a good look for the organization.
If a predominantly white national organization dismissed a Black head of a local branch with an email rather than at minimum first conduct an investigation and inquiry giving them a chance to answer charges being made against them, there would be an immediate outcry and loud claims made of racist misbehavior. Yet, unless an investigation was conducted whose results have not yet been made public, this is exactly what has happened to Venita Lewis. Lewis should have had the opportunity to address these charges before being suspended. Sweet-Love’s actions imply guilt, but there is a lack of specificity in the press release regarding exactly when the alleged events happened and exactly who was involved. If the actions were serious enough for a branch President to be suspended, there should be clear and compelling evidence to support that step rather than vague allegations in a press release,.
The Tribune also wonders if the national branch supports this kind of behavior. Venita Lewis is not the first Nashville NAACP leader who’s gotten embroiled in controversy with Sweet-Love. There have been issues dating all the way back to when the late Marilyn Robinson was running the organization and the same thing happened with her successor. Lewis has only held the position since January, but she was certainly in the forefront of trying to revitalize what many regard as an ineffective, seldom seen or heard institution with minimal impact and visibility. She was passionate about making the local branch more responsive to community residents, and in getting the next generation actively involved in policy issues and future direction.
The Tribune is calling for a full and immediate investigation into this entire situation. Since Lewis has been publicly accused of directing vulgar language at a specific person (which she denies) there should be an inquiry held that allows both Lewis and whoever this person is to state their case before an objective body. Secondly, it should be made clear that whoever heads the Nashville office be allowed to operate it as they see fit so long as they don’t abuse their authority, mishandle funds, or do anything illegal or unethical in office.
No local branch can effectively function if it’s unclear who is in charge, or if decisions can be negated or changed for debatable personal reasons. Gloria Sweet-Love is not the President of the Nashville branch, and should not be allowed to act as though she is anyhow through questionable actions and dubious decisions. The Tribune also thinks It’s time for the national office to take a look at the behavior of a person it has put in a position of power and authority for arguably too long.
Since January Venita Lewis has been trying to make the Nashville branch a more effective, community-based organization. Before suspending her, the national NAACP office should make certain the reasons for it are justified, and not simply done because of personality conflicts and differences of opinion on policy and direction with someone obsessed with demonstrating how much power and authority they have in their position.
