St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois

On July 8, 2017, the National Board of  Directors of the NAACP responded to the June 19, 2017, Statement from the Council of Bishops.  In the correspondence signed by Chairman Leon W. Russell and Vice Chairman Derrick Johnson, the Board thanked the AME Church for the "thoughtful letter" and stated: "As the NAACP retools, we are determined to be formed in the likeliness of the people whom we serve, and to do so, the Board will launch a listening tour at the convention to ensure that we harness the vigor, input, and voices of grassroots members...people like yourselves and other historic African-American organizations, in efforts to push the needle forward on civil rights, legal and social justice."

In the formal acknowledgment to the response, Bishop Clement W. Fugh, President of the Council, stated, "Be assured that the intent of our missive was to be constructive. We hold nothing but the highest regard for the storied history of the NAACP as a bastion for political, educational, social, economic and equality of rights of all people, and to eliminating racism and discrimination."

Bishop Frank Madison Reid III, Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer and Chair of the Commission on Social Action has been designated by the Council of Bishops to be the official representative of the AME Church at the NAACP Convention when it convenes July 22-26, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Click image to read the full Letter from the NAACP Board of Directors

Click image to read the Letter of Acknowledgement from the Council of Bishops