Everywhere he went, Jealous spoke admiringly of the organization's nearly 100-year battle against injustice.
"We will recapture the zeal of our founders, while realizing the power of everything from blogging to social networking to straight-up marching," he told an enthusiastic crowd during his speech Monday.
Although Jealous declined to do news media interviews, he spent a frenetic week shuttling between meetings and mingling with members. He appearing relaxed and outgoing, clad in jeans and a blazer, with his wife, Lia Epperson, his mother and 2-year-old daughter in tow.
Jealous takes over following a difficult two years for the organization.
President and CEO Bruce S. Gordon resigned abruptly in March 2007, after frequent clashes with the board over the organization's vision.
Several months after the former Verizon executive resigned, NAACP leaders revealed a deficit of more than $1 million, forcing leadership to cut the staff at the Baltimore headquarters by about 40 percent and close seven regional offices.
Earlier this year, Bond said the organization had erased the deficit and was now in the black.
But members such as Macon said the NAACP could not take its improved finances for granted.
"The NAACP often encounters red tape in fundraising because some donors don't think it can properly manage its money," said Macon, a grant writer for nonprofit organizations.
Still, Bond said, the organization has a lot to celebrate on the eve of its centennial, including the speeches by both presidential contenders, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain. Obama, the first black to clinch a major-party nomination for president, received a frenzied welcome.
Moments before McCain took the stage, Bond announced that the NAACP had received a $1 million anonymous donation toward voter registration and education efforts.
Bond called voter registration the cornerstone of NAACP activism. He even declared that any branch not doing so ought to have its charter revoked - a comment that drew loud applause.
kelly.brewington@baltsun.com
