The NAACP suspended the president of its DeKalb County chapter for undisclosed allegations.
Teresa Hardy, who has served as the local chapter’s president since 2016, was suspended by the Georgia NAACP, where she served as the executive committee’s treasurer. Lance Hammonds, the DeKalb chapter’s 1st vice president, confirmed Hardy’s suspension to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hardy said she’s appealing the suspension but declined to comment further about the situation.
“President Hardy is on suspension based on allegations from the state of Georgia NAACP conference,” Hammonds said Friday. “The process is when there’s a vacancy within our organization, everybody moves up.”
Hammonds assumed the duties of president, and Edwina Clanton, the local chapter’s 2nd vice president, assumed Hammond’s previous responsibilities. Hammonds said there will be “no visible signs of change” for members or the local chapter’s activism and activities.
Hammonds, who has been involved in the NAACP DeKalb branch for more than a decade, said he did not have any further information regarding the allegations against Hardy, since the suspension comes from outside of the DeKalb branch. Her term as president expires at the end of this year.
“All of our advocacy will continue,” he said. “Everything is in place, so (members) can expect the work that Ms. Hardy started to continue.”
The branch’s website now lists Hammonds as president, although Hardy’s name and position remained Friday afternoon in some spots, such as the website’s “branch leadership” page.
According to On Common Ground News, the first news outlet to report on Hardy’s suspension, the leadership change took place Feb. 10.
Edward Dubose, who serves on the National NAACP Board of Directors and as an administrator of the Georgia NAACP, told the news outlet that Hardy’s suspension did not stem from anything done at the county level. He also added that the allegations against Hardy should not prompt a criminal investigation.
“There is nothing that gives me any indication that it is criminal,” Dubose told On Common Ground. “When we have concerns that violate our Constitution or bylaws, there is a process that we must follow to address those concerns and we are doing that.”
Neither Dubose nor the state NAACP responded to the AJC’s requests for comment before publication.
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