The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP holds its annual conference this weekend. Back in May, its president, Rev. William Barber, announced his intention to step down after twelve years of leadership. Though he is leaving to join the leadership of the New Poor People’s Campaign, he did agree to stay on the Board of Directors and it did not stop him from not issuing a clear message to North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, “You are not welcome at the NAACP conference.”
The Rev. William J. Barber II, who will be leading the convention for the last time as the organization’s president, sent a letter to Cooper in late September informing the Democratic governor of the reason the NAACP’s traditional invitation had not been extended to him this year. [...]
For several years, the state NAACP has called for an independent investigation into the case [of Dontae Sharpe, who was jailed for murder in 1995 and has maintained his innocence since that time] and has turned on more than one occasion to Cooper for help.
Cooper served as attorney general for 16 years before taking office last January as governor.
Barber’s letter indicated that Cooper has had numerous chances to review Sharpe’s case and grant him his freedom. However, over the years, he has failed to act. Additionally, Barber noted that Sharpe’s mother will be present at the conference. Presumably, this will spare her from having to be in the presence of a man who has ignored calls to open another investigation into the case which has kept her son in prison for nearly twenty years. Despite the power of the message being sent by Barber, having the governor present at the conference could also be a powerful opportunity to confront him publicly and demand answers.
At any rate, Cooper got the message loud and clear.
This was his response to Barber’s letter, in which he expressed his disappointment about the decision:
“I always enjoy talking with members about a wide variety of concerns,” Cooper said. “These conversations often help me and my office make a positive difference for communities across North Carolina. I will continue to fight for strong public schools, more health care, elimination of voter suppression, better paying jobs, higher wages and many other efforts about which we agree.”
The good news in all this is that in May, the Pitt County district attorney announced that it is currently investigating the original case which put Sharpe in prison. Due to the NAACP’s years-long advocacy, there may be a resolution to this case after all.