NAACP mulls Tea Party racism resolution

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 12 (UPI) -- The NAACP said it will consider a resolution formally condemning the Tea Party for "explicitly racist behavior."

The resolution calls on "all people of good will to repudiate the racism" of the Tea Party and "stand in opposition to its drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era," The Kansas City Star reported.

NAACP leaders said the resolution, which could be taken up Tuesday during the civil rights group's six-day annual conference in Kansas City, Mo., is a response to what they call racism in the Tea Party movement.

"I think a lot of people are not taking the Tea Party movement seriously and we need to take it seriously," said Anita Russell, head of the Kansas City chapter of the NAACP. "We need to realize it's really not about limited government."

She said the resolution was expected to pass.

Tea Party leaders deny the claim of racism within the movement and call the resolution unfair.

"I just don't see racism in the Tea Party movement," said Brendan Steinhauser, campaigns director for FreedomWorks, which organizes Tea Party groups. "Racism is something we're absolutely opposed to.

"The NAACP has more of a political agenda now, but I would hope that they would appreciate the fact that the Tea Party movement has a lot in common with the civil rights movement. I'm personally inspired by what the civil rights movement did and I want them to know that."

The resolution accuses Tea Party activists of "explicitly racist behavior," including racial epithets, verbal and physical abuse of black lawmakers and leaders, threats against public officials, and "signs and posters intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically."

The resolution cited polls showing one in four Tea Party members believe the Obama administration's policies favor blacks over whites. And more than half of Tea Party members believe "too much" has been made of challenges facing blacks, compared with 28 percent of the general population, the resolution said.