Chavis to lead NAACP into new era.

As the new executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. finds his work cut out for him. His mission: to lead the nation's most powerful and successful civil rights organization into a new era. His challenge: to clarify the organization's mission at a time when civil rights issues are no longer as clear-cut as making sure everyone can drink from the same water fountain. Chavis, the 45-year-old civil rights activist, was previously executive director and CEO of the Commission for Racial Justice of the Cleveland-based United Church of Christ 

Becoming the NAACP's youngest executive director ever wasn't easy. The NAACP board asked over 560 candidates to chart a course on how they would handle the financial management, membership recruitment and revitalization of the 84-year-old organization. The competition narrowed to four finalists: Chavis; Jewell Jackson McCabe, a management consultant and founder of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women; Earl F. Shinhoster, head of the NAACP's Southeast regional office; and Operation Push founder Rev. Jesse Jackson - who withdrew over a change in the NAACP constitution, which he feft weakened the executive directors office.

Chavis emerged the victor, replacing Benjamin L. Hooks, an attorney and Baptist minister who now is a consultant for the Baltimore-based investment firm The Chapman Co.

Chavis' proposals - to start a major endowment for the NAACP, run the organization more like a professional business, expand its membership base and develop programs that would address a broad range of civil rights issues - were applauded by the search committee. Now, he must begin the arduous task of defining the civil rights issues of the '90s in terms that are important to today's generation of African-Americans.

He certainly brings some strong qualifications to the task. Chavis is renowned for his "activist, grass-roots" leadership style. During the '60s he worked for the NAACP and other activist organizations, such as the Congress on Racial Equality, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He also has earned a B.A. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina, a Master of Divinity degree from the Divinity School of Duke University and Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University.

The Oxford, N.C., native participated in many civil rights demonstrations and was jailed after one such protest in 1976 as a member of "The Wilmington Ten." After the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this bogus conviction in 1980, he returned to the civil rights arena with vigor. One of the first to recognize the link between environmental issues and race, he coined the phrase "environmental racism" in 1982. As head of the Commission for Racial Justice, in 1987 he issued the landmark report "Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States," securing his place among the most respected spokespersons on the subject.

Now Chavis must use his well-earned credibility to continue the grand legacy of NAACP leadership. In addition to coordinating freedom marches and protests during the 1960s' civil rights movement, the NAACP won historic legal victories for equal opportunity: its first, outlawing "grandfather clauses" that restricted voting rights in 1915; its most significant victory, in the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The NAACP has established a track record unparalleled by any other civil rights organization. But Chavis assumes command at a time when the 500,000-member group faces an array of unsettling problems:

A Generation Gap in Membership. Although membership has grown from 2% to 3% annually for the last five years, attracting and keeping younger members has been difficult. NAACP leadership has been criticized as "too old" and "not militant enough" in its approach. Chavis' age and his involvement in youth-oriented programming as head of the Commission for Racial Justice should help him bridge the gap.

Need For A New Focus And New Image. In recent years, the NAACP has seemed to lack the visionary and focused image that stimulated its membership in the first place. Some have even suggested that the organization has outlived its original purpose. Chavis' crusade against environmental racism and his role in galvanizing 50 black organizations for a health care reform summit last spring demonstrate his ability to motivate people and give organizations purpose.

In addition, Chavis has developed a marketing plan for the NAACP, which includes hiring a marketing director and using music videos and popular music to help attract new members and lure people "back home."

Is The NAACP Unresponsive? Some members have complained that NAACP leadership is paralyzed because its current structure prevents quick action. They cite the delay in announcing opposition to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as an example. Chavis got off to a fast start promoting several issues, including health care reform. And with his plans to computerize all NAACP operations, he hopes to speed information to members faster than before. That should help to restore the membership's confidence.

It appears he already has the confidence of other civil rights leaders. "I'm looking forward to working with Ben Chavis," says John E. Jacob, president and CEO of the National Urban League Inc. "Our organizations have different strengths and expertise, and together we can use them to advance the position of the African-American community."