NAACP delegates debate resolution condemning racism within tea party, say group is dividing US

NAACP resolution to condemn racism in tea party

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The country’s largest civil rights organization is debating a resolution that condemns racism within the tea party movement.

A vote is expected Tuesday during the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The debate is closed to media.

NAACP President Ben Jealous has blasted the tea party during the convention in Kansas City, saying it’s dividing the country and “represents a small and dying demographic.”

Local tea party organizer Alex Poulter says he’s seen no evidence of racism in the movement.

Occasional claims of racism have swirled around the tea party. In March, near the end of the bitter health care debate, three congressmen said some tea party activists yelled a racial epithet as they walked to the Capitol.

Online:

NAACP: www.naacp.org