ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997              TAG: 9702170096
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-2  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From The Washington Post and The Associated Press
NEW YORK 

NAACP PRESIDENT SAYS ITS TIME FOR RETURN TO ACTIVISM

KWEISI MFUME answered criticism that the financially revitalized group had done too little during his first year as its leader by promising unity and action on major issues.

Kweisi Mfume defended his record as president of the NAACP, telling members Saturday that the quiet progress he has made to rebuild the organization required the group to take a lower profile in the nation's increasingly complex civil rights debate.

Speaking at the NAACP's annual meeting, Mfume said that despite the group's relative silence on such crucial issues as welfare, ``the past 12 months have been extremely productive for this association. Let no one tell you otherwise.''

Since taking charge of the NAACP a year ago, the former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus has worked to eliminate the organization's crippling debt, fix its broken internal structure, lay the foundation for a $50million endowment and rebuild the group's credibility.

But restoring the NAACP's good name has come at a price, some say. The group has been absent from the civil rights trenches even as policy changes with profound implications for black Americans marched forward. Besides welfare, they include the shifting of policy-making to the states, the shrinking of government, and the rolling back of affirmative action. Some observers say those issues did not receive much NAACP scrutiny.

Michael Meyers, an NAACP member and an outspoken critic of the organization, said, ``The NAACP has been virtually invisible on the major issues of the day because it lacks a vision.''

Most in the audience seemed to disagree with Meyers.

``I thought Mr. Mfume's comments were right on the mark,'' said Julian Bond, a national board member from Washington, D.C. ``It's time to turn up the heat on the civil rights front, and I glad he's addressing that.''

Hazel Dukes, a national board member from New York, said: ``I'm with our president 100 percent. He can't do everything in one year. He's turning us around.''

Mfume said he hopes to bring a new pragmatism to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, proposing as much emphasis on self-help as it does on government intervention. His plans include an anti-violence campaign, economic development initiatives and selective buying campaigns for black consumers.

``We must find ways to do for self,'' Mfume said. ``The self-help philosophy of [the Nation of Islam] has merit, whether we accept the philosophy of the religion or not.''

While Mfume spent his first year focused on internal initiatives - including trimming the NAACP's work force, putting information about the organization on the Internet and providing leadership training for local NAACP officials - he says the group plans to do much more soon to answer questions about its role.

``Let the word go out that last year was a good year,'' Mfume told cheering NAACP members, ``but you ain't seen nothing yet.''

LENGTH: Medium:   64 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. NAACP Chairwoman Myrlie Evers-Williams and President
          Kweisi Mfume express optimism.