A Message From The Publisher
If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.
2 John 1:10-11 (NLT)
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
The NAACP is decidedly grounded in legacy and moral clarity: it will not invite Donald Trump to speak at its 2025 national convention. In doing so, the nation’s oldest “Badest and Boldest” civil rights organization has reminded the country and Black America that principle must always come before politics because you don’t want to Fool Around and Find Out!
This is not a partisan gesture. It is a statement of values. For more than a century, the NAACP has stood as a moral compass for this country, speaking truth to power in times when others remained silent. In 1917, it organized the Silent Protest Parade to condemn racial violence. In 1963, it stood at the heart of the March on Washington. And today, it refuses to offer a platform to a figure whose words and policies have repeatedly undermined the very lives, voices, and rights of Black people.
Donald Trump’s record is clear that he nor his administration has done anything to advanced policies for communities of color, that will back voting right protections, appoint judges who fight for civil rights and antiracial tensions, or refuse to condemn white supremacy. From attacks on Black women in power to minimizing police violence, his rhetoric and actions made clear where he stands. Extending an invitation to him would not be inclusive at this point; it would be complicit.
We remember the words of civil rights legend Fannie Lou Hamer, who told the world in 1964: “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” She wasn’t afraid to tell uncomfortable truths in front of powerful audiences. The NAACP’s action is part of that same DNA, one that refuses to sugarcoat injustice for the sake of politeness.
To the first three pillars outside of the Black family, the Black church, the Black Press, our HBCUs, along with our national professional and civic associations, that claim to stand for the people: now is the moment to show your measure. It’s time to “knuckle up and guard your grill”!
Will you elevate voices aligned with justice? Or will you lend your legitimacy to those who have worked to silence and suppress us?
This isn’t about one man. It’s about “drawing a line in the sand” between accountability and access. Between presence and permission. Between truth and tolerance of harm. Between, “they not like us” and yessa boss”.
The NAACP has drawn that line. It did not waver, and it did not flinch. Others would do well to follow.
History doesn’t reward those who sit quietly in moments of crisis. It remembers those who stood firm.
Now is the time to know who’s in the foxhole with you.
