Marijuana Issue Leads to Leaders Calling for NAACP Head to Resign

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Over 20 African American leaders in the state of California are calling for the resignation of Alice Huffman, President of the California State Conference for theNAACP. Huffman drew the ire of some leaders when she publicly backed the effort to legalize marijuana in the state of California.
Bishop Ron Allen was among the members of the International Faith-Based Coalition stating that Proposition 19 on the November ballot would be harmful to African Americans. "Why would the state NAACP advocate for blacks to stay high?" Allen said. "It’s going to cause crime to go up. There will be more drug babies."
Huffman has stood firm, stating that she is not going to resign. She also cited a number of African American leaders across the country who support her position.
"Prop. 19 is about eliminating enforcement practices that are targeting and creating a permanent underclass of citizens, of African Americans, caught in a criminal justice system while other people, a more privileged class, go free,” Huffman said.

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