Sussex County Council got an earful from local NACCP officials and their supporters Tuesday.
Public comment portion of Tuesday morning’s council meeting was dominated by response to remarks made about the organization last week by Councilmen Sam Wilson and Vance Phillips when they declined to contribute money from their discretionary grant money accounts to the Lower Sussex NAACP Youth Council.
Wilson suggested the group was discriminatory while Phillips called it “inappropriate in this day of racial equality.”
Lower Sussex NAACP branch president Jane Hovington called Wilson and Phillips “grossly out-of-touch” with their minority constituents.
“I feel that these two councilmen owe an apology, not just to the NAACP, but to the people of Sussex County for the untruths put forth in the paper and on TV regarding an organization that is far, far from discriminatory and for the embarrassment that’s been brought on this county,” said Hovington.
NAACP statewide president Richard Smith and representatives from the Delaware Black Caucus, LGBT rights group Equality Delaware and the AFL-CIO also chided Wilson and Smith for their comments.
“For some members of council not to vote to grant a modest grant request sends a horribly exclusionary message to your constituents. They feel likely that their government does not respect or value them," said Equality Delaware president Lisa Goodman. "To them I say, you are worthy of equal treatment and respect and you are of value and you deserve equal treatment from your government.”
Council members did not respond to any of the speakers and once the public comments session was over adjourned to Executive Session for discussion of legal and personnel matters.
