NAACP Meets Resistance from its Own

TAMPA (FBW)—Filling the pulpit before a backdrop of about 40 Tampa Bay area pastors, a coalition of African-American pastors Sept. 24 announced their support of a state constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.

Urging support of Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, pastor of the host church, Beulah Baptist Institutional, W. James Favorite, told reporters he believes the comparison of gay marriage to the fight for equality by black men and women in America is wrong.

A “life-long” member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Favorite reacted with surprise when he learned after the news conference the Florida NAACP is opposed to the amendment—which puts him and potentially many of its members at odds with the organization.

“It would be an abomination in the Tampa area if someone was to say that, especially a representative of the NAACP, because it does not represent the populous here,” Favorite told the Witness. “It certainly isn’t one that I would abide by and certainly if the Florida NAACP is taking those kinds of stands then I think they are going to end up losing a lot of members because it certainly would be against the church.”

Favorite said he believes if an action was taken by the organization’s body, as its president has said, it should have been announced in local meetings and widely publicized.

“I don’t know why anybody in NAACP would say anything like that when the NAACP came out of the church,” Favorite said. “It’s just in diabolical opposition to what we actually believe in.”

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