Naacp’s New Chief Tells Plans Myrlie Evers-Williams Sees A Return To Group’s Grassroots

Myrlie Evers-Williams, the new chairwoman of the NAACP, made it clear Sunday that she intends to take the beleaguered civil rights group back to its grassroots and the ordinary people who have kept it alive.

An early priority is to create a newsletter from the chairwoman to let the rank and file know what’s going on, she said. There will be appeals to corporations to donate to NAACP programs and reports to the 2,200 local branches who will run them.

The operating theme is that Evers-Williams, 61, doesn’t intend to forget the revolt that prompted the NAACP board of directors to elect her as its new leader, succeeding William Gibson.

“The people who make up the NAACP were well-represented here. They spoke, and the board members listened,” she said. “The challenges that we face are great. We now have the unity and the sense of purpose to meet those challenges head on.”

Gibson was toppled from the chairmanship Saturday after a raucous general session in which 700 angry members booed a treasurer’s report they thought was false. Led by 90-year-old activist Enolia McMillian, the members delivered a vote of no confidence in his leadership.

Then, 300 members crashed the board’s closed meeting, and refused to leave when Gibson attempted to limit the session to board members. Board members asked Evers-Williams to try to persuade them to allow a closed session. She did, and the members calmly left.

“They stood up in unison and said, `Only for you, Myrlie,”’ said board member Joseph Madison. “If I were a board member sitting on the fence, that certainly would have swayed me.”

Gibson was defeated by one vote.

After the election, President Clinton called to congratulate Evers-Williams.