NCDP trying to Decertify Black Auxilary

North Carolina Democratic Party trying to Decertify Black Auxiliary

The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) Plan of Organization strictly forbids the Democratic Party and its Party Officers from interfering with the internal operations of Democratic Auxiliaries as provided under Council of Review Section 9.01 Purpose. The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) under new Chairman David Parker is working very hard to decertify the African American Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party (AAC-NCDP). Chairman David Parker won the Chairmanship defeating Bill Faison (supported by Governor Bev Perdue and the Black Elected Officials) with a lot help from AAC-NCDP Members. Chairman Parker’s first act was to appoint Mickey Michaux, who probably voted for Faison, as Chair for Minority Affairs to the State Executive Committee (SEC). Harold Lee Hairston, AAC-NCDP President objected to the Chairman choice because the Caucus caught hell for not going along with the Black Elected Officials and the Governor who never mentions the AAC-NCDP at Democratic events where other Democratic Auxiliaries are recognized by name. At an SEC Meeting Chairman Parker refused to call for a vote to the certify the AAC-NCDP as an official auxiliary of the Democratic Party and let Mr. Phillip Cooper of Wake County make unsubstantiated negative statements about the Caucus which left the Caucus as the only Democratic Auxiliary not accepted into the Party. Mr. Cooper was removed as 2nd Vice President of the Caucus for failure to attend two (2) of the four (4) mandatory General Body Meetings and other Executive Meetings. Parker suggested to the SEC Members that if they did not accept the Caucus By-Laws, the AAC-NCDP would no longer be an auxiliary of the Democratic Party, although African Americans makeup over 40% of North Carolina Democrats and vote at over 95% for Party Candidates and issues, being the most loyal of all Democratic Constituencies. Nowhere in the Plan of Organization, the Party Rules and Regulations, is the issue of decertification addressed. After influential Black Leaders said there would always be an AAC-NCDP, Parker recanted and dispatched Douglas Wilson, 2nd Vice Chairman to stop Mr. Cooper efforts to decertify the Caucus. The SEC Membership voted to accept AAC-NCDP By-Laws over the objection of Stella Adams, first AAC-NCDP President, Kevin Smith, former member and Mrs. Little of Union County, claiming to be President of the Caucus. Chairman Parker’s attitude sent a clear message to the Democratic Membership that the AAC-NCDP under Hairston’s leadership was not important to the Party.

Telephone Calls and emails to the Chairman asking for a meeting the discuss concerns and questions when under answered. Only after Jay Parmley became Executive Director of the Party was a meeting grant to the AAC-NCDP. Mr. Cooper when back into action calling many AAC-NCDP County Presidents to tell them what a bad leader President Hairston was. Mr. Cooper was successful with Mrs. Zette McArn, Wilson County President and she started to send critical email to other County Presidents. Before Mr. Cooper’s campaign, the only problem between Mrs. McArn and the President was the way he pronounced her name, the President called her “Zet-te.” 1st Vice Chairman Gwen Wilkins began to call President Hairston, at first recommending things he could do to improve the Caucus. After a while she began to suggest major changes which included Ms. Wilkins over seeing every movement and decision of the Caucus. Wilkins went as far as to suggest that President Hairston was being coached because the President was too dumb to reply to her questions on his own. Third Vice Chairman Douglas Wilson of the Party and Parliamentarian of the Caucus is the Black Problem troubleshooter for Chairman Parker. Douglas Wilson appears to be an honest man caught between trying to serve two (2) masters. Douglas Wilson attended an AAC-NCDP strategy planning meeting with the Caucus focused on being funded to get out the Black Vote for Organizing for Obama (OFA). Parliamentarian Wilson said, He did not agree with the Caucus Powerpoint Presentation and strategy and agreed not to attend the meeting because the Democratic Party was not invited. At the OFA Presentation in Charlotte, Parliamentarian Wilson, beginning stating his own plan that asks the Caucus membership to volunteer rather than ask for funding from OFA. President Hairston and Parliamentarian got into a heated discussion because Wilson was taking the meeting in a different direction. Because of the actions of 1st and 2nd Vice Chairmen Wilkins and Wilson, the AAC-NCDP By-Laws will be amended to eliminate the problems of serving as officers in more than one (1) Democratic Party Official Organizations.

The Democratic Party has always said that the AAC-NCDP was an unruly auxiliary and could not govern themselves. Since President Hairston’s election in 2009, the Caucus has grown from 30 – 40 members and five (5) counties attending the last election to 485 Members in 27 counties. There has been no problems accept those orchestrated by the Democratic Party. When Chairman Parker told Mr. Cooper to stop, Mr. Cooper stopped. The Democratic Party thru their top (3) Officers, Parker, Wilkins and Wilson have created an atmosphere where Black Caucus members think they are doing the Party will by destroying the Caucus. Because I was told the problems were really with the President and not the Caucus, I resigned to remove any problems and save the Caucus. Now that I am no longer the Caucus President, 1st Vice President Barbara Whitman is facing the same threats to disrupt the November 5, 2011 Election and Fundraiser. There rumors that unhappy Caucus members and non-members will attend these events to cause trouble, proving again that Black People cannot even run their own election and Fundraiser without trouble.

The Caucus President has to take some responsibility for the animosity toward the Caucus, for in the beginning of Hairston’s Administration, He ask the State Board of Election (SBOE) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for an audit of the Caucus Financial Accounting Records to find out how a substantial amount of the Caucus funds were spend. President Hairston’s naiveté about money and Democratic Politics lead to him being targeted by people who had received money from the Caucus under both Stella Adams and Michael Lawson’s Administrations. Without public knowledge and government investigations, the AAC-NCDP will never be one of the Good Old Boys and the Democratic Party will continue to use Black Folks against African Americans to ensure that all of us, Black or African American, never achieve our rightful place as the most loyal Democrats in the North Carolina Democratic Party.

Spoke to Chairman Parker on Wednesday November 12, 2011 6:50 p.m. and told him my resignation was being forced to eliminate threats of disruption at the AAC-NCDP Elections and Fundraiser. I make it clear to him that the only reason for my resignation was to protect the AAC-NCDP from preceded disorderly conduct by people who are neither members of the Caucus or ticket holders for the Fundraiser. Chairman Parker asked what he could do and I said put out a memo to all Democrats about the AAC-NCDP fear of troublemakers from outside of the Caucus. He said that would draw to much attention from the Press. Chairman Parker asked for names and I said I did not have names. Chairman Parker said he would attend the Fundraiser.

Chairman David Parker, 1st Vice Chairman Gwen Wilkins and 3rd Vice Chairman Douglas Wilson have disregarded State rules and regulations against interfering in the internal operations of duly certified State Auxiliaries. Their actions and the activities of their surrogates had as its primary goal the decertification of the AAC-NCDP.

Because I have felt the displeasure of these people, I, and I alone take full responsibility for everything written in this letter.

Submitted by: Harold Lee Hairston – Aggrieved Active Democrat