Boycott of state still on, NAACP says

Upon learning last month that the Great Gathering of black Methodists would take place in Columbia, state Sen. Robert Ford declared that the NAACP boycott of South Carolina was over.

"Now that you have these powerful black churches coming here, I think it means the boycott is over, and I think that's good news for South Carolinians," Ford said.

Reaction came swiftly.

The Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the Charleston NAACP Branch, told local news media that the boycott was voluntary and that Ford, who is not an active member of the branch, had as much right to announce the end of the boycott as Darby had to announce the end of Ford's campaign for governor.

The Rev. Staccato Powell, chairman of the Great Gathering, said at a press conference Monday that "Ford speaks neither for the NAACP nor the black Methodist churches," and that the senator was attempting to capture media attention. We cannot afford to be distracted or divided."

Other church leaders insisted that they stand in solidarity with the NAACP.

"The black church is never an outsider," AME Senior Bishop John R. Bryant said. "We are part of a community," and will continue to be one of the NAACP's main supporters.

The Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III, the NAACP's vice president for stakeholder relations and pastor of Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, made an improvised appearance at the conference to clarify the matter.

Taking the podium between scheduled speakers, Rivers launched into a 20-minute sermon that prompted cheers, amens and a standing ovation from an appreciative audience.

"I'm here to set the record straight," Rivers said. "Our sanctions are ongoing. ... If you want to know if the sanctions are over, there's a real simple test: When the flag comes down, our sanctions stop."

He called the Confederate battle flag flying on Statehouse grounds a symbol of terrorism, treason, hatred and oppression. And he reiterated the NAACP's request to avoid doing business in the state, but he acknowledged that the meeting, which initially was scheduled to be held in Dallas, was too important to cancel.

"We support what you do," he told the crowd of more than 2,000, "but don't come back to South Carolina until that flag comes down!"

Before his public speech, Rivers said the NAACP has been in discussions with conference organizers for weeks, trying to arrange an alternative to Columbia ever since it became clear that a conflict prevented the meeting from being held in Dallas.

In the end, though, the choice was to hold the event in South Carolina or not at all.

"The coming together of three denominations is historic and the problems large," Rivers said.

Church officials justified their decision to carry on the conference in the state in three ways:

--The practical argument was that, without the Dallas option, there was no other choice.

--The theological argument was that these churches already are present in the state and ministering to residents.

--The political argument was that racism and division in the state are profound and the church must be where the problems are to confront them head on.

Reach Adam Parker at 937-5902.