FLINT — Members of the Flint LGBTQ community will be protesting the upcoming Flint NAACP Freedom Fund dinner due to the negative remarks made last October by 1st Vice Chair A.C. Dumas, regarding then-attorney general candidate Dana Nessel and additional comments about the LGBTQ community at large. A local group lead by Quincy Murphy sent a letter to the local chapter president Frances Gilcreast requesting action in response to Dumas’ comments, and while the matter was referred to the national chapter, to date no action has been taken. In light of this lack of action, Murphy’s group asked state Rep. Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint) and other members of the Genesee County state delegation to not participate in the dinner. In response, Rep. Neeley, a member of the NAACP, issued the following statement:
“As a member and believer in the ideals of the NAACP, in good conscience, I will honor the request of the concerned members of the LGBTQ community to not participate in the Freedom Fund dinner until efforts have been made to repair the bonds of trust with the members of the LGBTQ community. I stand in support of justice for all people regardless of their race, sex, color, creed or gender identity as should the local Flint NAACP chapter, and for a member of the chapter leadership to display bias through negative comments stands to disavow the core values of our organization and is damaging to our community and our mission. I pray that mediation can take place and we can begin to repair the damage that has been done by the statements and ideas of one individual.”
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