iReporters Jason Asselin, left, and Omekongo Dibinga sound off on the NAACP's recent resolution regarding Tea Partiers.
CNN.com readers and iReporters have had a passionate response to the NAACP’s resolution condemning Tea Partiers for having “racist elements.”
“We take issue with the Tea Party’s continued tolerance for bigotry and bigoted statements. The time has come for them to accept the responsibility that comes with influence and make clear there is no space for racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in their movement,” NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous said.
iReporter Omekongo Dibinga posted a video, telling CNN, “If the Tea Party wants to become a credible organization, it has to show leadership when racist acts are committed by its members."
Watch: NAACP, Tea Party at war?
He went on to mention things he believes the Tea Party could do to combat racism: “The Tea Party can also partake in events that promote respect for other groups in a non-reactionary capacity, such as MLK Day events. The Party can also call out individuals by name who commit racist acts.”
Jason Asselin, who has attended some Tea Party events, disagreed, saying in his own iReport video that the resolution was not fair.
“All organizations have people among them that are there for the wrong reasons, even the Tea Party has these type of people. If people were to pay attention, they might see these people being asked to leave,” he said. “Everyone has a right to free speech but even that should have its limits.”
Commenter “SJS52987” wrote, “If the Tea Party isn't racist, how is that every time I ask one of them a legitimate policy question, they can't answer it without mentioning President Obama's race?”
“Bigolug” wrote, “I'm sure there are a few racists involved with the Tea Party, just like there are racists involved with the NAACP. To label the whole Tea Party movement as racist is just a stretch and most likely politically motivated.”
If you would like to join the conversation, share your comments below or post an iReport on video.
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The more politically corect we come the more things people have to throw back at people in debates like this. Political corectness is what makes people realize that leagally we are all equal. Nobody is truely equal.
Wow, wait until my wife finds out I'm racist, her and her family are really going to be p*ssed! The reason why I joined the Tea Party is I don't like the direction the GOP is going to, they are more concerned with denying the Democrats anything then they are with actually solving any problems. In any group, you will have a few idiots and I'm willing to bet the NAACP has their share as well – but I have enough class and respect to not judge the entire organization based on a few. I have a lot of respect for what the NAACP has done in the past, but they are WAY off this time.
They are placing a stereotype on an entire group, and I thought they had been created to fight exactly that.
Just for the record, the person who said Mr. Jealous is a racist, apparently doesn't know that his father is White!!!
Yes! Yes !the "Race Card," that is all you that hate the President can come up with when it is not to your liking? How about using a new phrase, "The Truth Card." I know the truth hurts, but darn it, get over it, President Obama is the President of the United States, like it or not. Take a look in your own personal lives, and tell us when you have agreed with everything someone else says or does. Yes, Yes, anyone or any group that are racist needs to be called out ,regardless of what they stand for! How about "Moving our Country Forward," not Backwards! Enough said...
Yea, the NAACP, by name AND policies, whose SOLE GOAL is Racism, is callingTea Party'ers Racists!! Funny, if not so sad. Because the media prints this Racism. Ask any Caucasion and they will tell you that the MOST Racsist people they know are Blacks!!! Yet, the media won't print that!!
Show proof JackT that your statement is true and correct.
"Ask any Caucasion and they will tell you that the MOST Racsist people they know are Blacks!!!"
Hahahahahaha. Ok, I'll be sure to as some Caucasians that question today. You've got to be kidding me with that statement. This is a joke, right? You're funny, man. You're funny.
drageo I used to work for a Goverment agency, I worked with, in the same position, a very nice African American man who was working on a degree from college. I already had 2 degrees from college. One day I was told that my co-worker was being fast tracked for a management position. When I asked why I wasn't also being considered I was told, point blank, that I was the "Wrong Color". That was over 20 years ago & things have gotten worse.. I left the gov't job for private industry soon after that episode. Never regretted it.
Juju,
I can appreciate where you're coming from (not that I've had a similar experience). I think this type of affirmative action is ripe for debate. But I would point out that affirmative action exists precisely because racism against minorities is still a reality, no matter what laws are on the books. The question is: after hundreds (if not thousands, if you think about it) of years of discrimination and outright slavery, do blacks (or African-Americans, in particular) deserve to have some measure of compensation for past damages? Whether you think yes or no, I wouldn't call a white person's treatment at the hand of affirmative action "racism" or "reverse racism". Doing that seriously lessens the years and years of terrible suffering African Americans experienced at the hands of the white majority.
Coming from a racist family and being born in a multi racial area with stong racial bias, it was only when i grwe older that i realised racism existed and i was part of the problem....since then I've changed and been anti racist, I will defend anyone i see attacked due to their race..its not acceptable and its not something an advanced society should be even thinking about any more..its just skin color..i have millions of freckles..do i become a different race?...it makes our human race a disg-race
NAACP is rasict. Period. So they want to team up with the Tea Party. They just had to pull out the race card. Shameful.
Make you a deal Lefties – I will respect your president as much as you respected mine...
I am sure the Tea Party has a racist fringe element, so what? The group that called them on it is the National Association for the Advancement of COLORED PEOPLE, not Americans but colored people. How do you take anything they say about another group being racist seriously? For the poster who claimed that the Tea Partiers were all people who used the "N" word when they were around friends; sounds like you mean rappers. Also, a poster asked how BET is racist. They are racist by thier very name. I submit that not all racism is bad, its just when your not white it is called cultural heritage
Most of you seem to think that one must either embrace Bush OR Obama. I have news for you, a large number of us think they are/were both crooks and/or bad for the country. Just because a person does not endorse one party does not mean they support the other.
Comrade Obama could be GREEN. He STILL sucks.
Maybe...but infantile narcissism? Definitely.
The race baiting is tiresome. Being an ethnic minority...even a group oppressed, doesn't mean that group has a monopoly on righteousness in everything! Stop this.
The NAACP is one of the racist groups around.
The Tea Party is the party of ignorance. What they're complaining about are typical GOP views.
Tea Party's view on taxes: Taxes are bad; GOP's view: Lets continue the tax cuts on the wealthy made under Bush.
Tea Party's view on Government: Big Government is bad; GOP's view on Government: All these strict regulations (Like the safety regulations BP ignored) cut into my profit.
Tea Party's view on immigration: wait they don't have a solid view on immigration, I wonder why?!?! GOP's view on immigration: Well cheap labor from hard workers that I can exploit is good for my bottom line, what immigration problem? (this explains why the Tea Party has no real focused stance on immigration reform).
The GOP has done a very good job with dressing up the Tea Party as an actual movement. I'm actually embarrassed that so many people in this country are actually falling for it. Case in point, Obama said he wants to redistribute wealth. If you look at how far the gap between the richest and the poorest has widened of late, it would make sense that redistributing the wealth from the wealthiest to the poorest, to the middle class would generate more spending and would spur growth. What do the spin doctors at the GOP/Faux News/Tea Party call it? Socialism. "OH NO A BLACK PRESIDENT WITH A MUSLIM NAME WANTS TO STRIP YOU OF YOUR WEALTH!!!!" Those in the Tea Party with an inkling of racism in their blood run with it and next thing you know the racism within the Tea Party is exposed.
The ignorance is to be expected when you consider what the Tea Party is really in favor of, more GOP policy even though their policy under Bush failed the American people miserably.
Naacp didnt say ALL were racist and when you blame Obama for something that took years to happen the reccession when Obama has been in office for less then two years you are racist or stupid..... Most of you don't know real policies only what you hear and you say Obama is not American so your saying that Obama con the U.S and the government is so stupid they can't find out if someone who ran for President wasn't born here or not. You sound racist of just a dam fool. So tell me which is it? And you think Palin is smart and have NOTHING to back that point up. Again are you racist of just f..king stupid.