The AP's Erin Texeira reports today, from the NAACP national convention, that the organization's president has called for a Black boycott of major retail outlets following a new survey of corporations' contracting and employment practices. See article [here].
While it is unclear whether African Americans consumers are likely to follow the advice of the NAACP on personal spending patterns (especially without evidence of blatant racism or discrimination), this issue is a reminder that corporations must always be conscious of their corporate responsibilities in many areas of their work, particularly as it relates to the communities they serve and the communities that are responsible for their record profits.
Many of the companies targeted by the NAACP have benefited from the explosive growth in spending power of minority groups in America.
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NAACP leader urges empowerment
By Erin Texeira, Associated Press
July 18, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Black Americans should end "victim-like thinking" and seize opportunities to help close the gap between the nation's rich and poor, NAACP President Bruce Gordon said Monday.
"We may not have all the power that we want, but we have all the power that we need," Gordon said. "All we have to do is believe it and use it."
Gordon's comments were part of his first keynote convention speech as head of the Baltimore-based civil rights group.
He urged members to keep pushing for reauthorization of expiring portions of the Voting Rights Act, which is scheduled for a vote this week in the Senate, and to improve voter turnout among blacks.
Gordon also said blacks shouldn't spend money with companies that don't hire them or advertise in their communities.
Even companies that make an effort to work with minority-owned businesses typically spend barely 5 percent of their contracting dollars with them, he said as his group released report cards on several industries.
The NAACP has graded corporations since 1997 on how well they work with blacks in employment, charitable giving, advertising, contracting and community service. This year, the civil rights group looked at the telecommunications, lodging, finance, retail and auto industries.
Most companies did best on charitable giving and community service, and worst on hiring and contracting. Gordon said the contracting numbers were "totally unacceptable."
For the second straight year, Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. received the highest grade of any company--a 3.5 out of a possible 4.0. The company pushes its managers to look for vendors and employees who are black, said Valencia Adams, a BellSouth vice president.
Of the 50 companies contacted by the NAACP, five ignored the survey, including four retailers: Dillard's Inc.; Kohl's Corp.; Sears, Roebuck and Co., and Target Corp. All were given Fs for not answering. The other company that failed to answer was Excel, a telecommunications company; it also received an F.
Gordon called on blacks to stop shopping at Target, in particular, until the retailer answered the NAACP's questions--though he stopped short of calling the action a boycott.
"They didn't even care to respond to our survey," he said. "Stay out of their stores."
The NAACP focused on Target because it's one of the most prominent national retailers, said John White, NAACP spokesman. However, the group does not plan to picket or leaflet Target, but will rely on word of mouth, he said.
A Target spokeswoman said via e-mail that the company opted out of the survey "because Target views diversity as being inclusive of all people from all different backgrounds, not just one group." The NAACP survey asks only about blacks.
The 97th annual meeting of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People continues through Thursday.
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