THE PUBLIC MIND: SOURCE IN STORY ON NAACP INSISTS HER COMMENTS WERE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT

To the Editor:

I am writing out of concern relating to the article that appeared in the Sunday's edition of the Southeast Missourian focusing on the "March commemorates King's dream" and "NAACP head cites problems locally."

I was called by Sam Blackwell, a reporter on your staff, to comment on my views of the need for a march 30 years later. At no time during our conversation did Mr. Blackwell state to me that he was doing a feature article on the NAACP. I am greatly concerned with how Mr. Blackwell integrated comments that I made relating to the need for a march into a story on the NAACP. I will reiterate that at no time during our conversation was I informed that my comments would be integrated into a story on the NAACP.

My overall concern is that Mr. Blackwell has listed my comments relating to the march under a category within the NAACP article that refers to individuals that may have ill feelings or regards for the NAACP organization. Furthermore, Mr. Blackwell has completely taken out of context my comments on equality and purposely intertwined them under a section that defames the NAACP organization and Mr. Michael Sterling.

Since this story was released in Sunday's paper, I have received numerous phone calls questioning my commitment to civil rights, my ethnicity and why I would publicly backlash the NAACP. I am disheartened and appalled that my comments were distorted and used as bait to engage in degrading the NAACP.

More specifically, the following comments were taken out of context and integrated into a totally different story from which the reporter stated that he was gathering information on the evening that I was called.

CONCERNS

When I am contacted to provide a comment about my personal views or philosophy pertaining to a non-related university function or issue, it is inappropriate to refer to my employment capacity at the university in a news article. This indicates to the reader that I am speaking as a representative of Southeast Missouri State University and may be misconstrued by the reader as views/philosophy of the institution. My title was also incorrect. When I am asked for my personal views they should not be related to my employment capacity. I did not authorize the use of my professional title to be used as part of the article. If the reporter needed to give some type of identity to its sources, then I should of been identified as a Cape Girardeau resident. It is totally inappropriate to portray my personal comments as comments being made through my professional capacity.

Secondly, at no time would I infer or question the function of the NAACP. The context of the questions were how we could bring about change and how necessary was the march. I made no references as to the purpose or capabilities of the NAACP. I basically stated that all individuals must join together to ensure equality and that no one entity can do it alone. It is the responsibility of all mankind to ensure that equality is a reality.

Organization -- My reference to organization related to any group of Americans/individuals that has the power to make change (which encompasses areas relating to business, civic organizations, and political avenues). I made no specific reference to the fact the African-Americans should not utilize or depend on the NAACP. We all know from our history that the primary function of the NAACP is to promote civil rights. I also stated that I respect and value the contributions that the NAACP has made towards the civil rights movement. This statement was omitted.

"An organization is only as good as the people in it." This comment did not refer to the functioning members of the NAACP; it was made in reference to any organization of embodied individuals that has the power to contribute to change.

I never inferred that African-Americans should not use the NAACP. My comment was related to the fact that African-Americans must assimilate and integrate themselves into all facets of the society and question inequalities in an effort to defuse racism/discrimination.

The NAACP has been one of the major avenues for assisting with integration and providing equal access and support to African-Americans in our struggle to gain equality.

I would like to reiterate that I am very concerned about the overall misrepresentation of my comments and the fact that they were used to speak negatively of the NAACP and Mr. Michael Sterling's contributions. I feel it was inappropriate to intentionally link my comments under a section that degrades the NAACP and Mr. Sterling. I do not want to have any part of contributing to the misrepresentation of the NAACP or Mr. Sterling.

I personally feel that you may have misused my statements to degrade the NAACP and its overall role. I will not be a party to any such attack on any organization or human being.

I am requesting that the Southeast Missourian staff run a rebuttal to clarify the misrepresented comments. In closing, I will continue to question the reason for such a severe distortion of my comments and the fact that they were used inappropriately to shed a negative cast upon such an important organization to me. I have suffered a great deal of anguish over the misrepresentation of my comments being taken out of context and intertwined with a completely different story that I had no prior knowledge of.

In closing, I look forward to working with your staff to rectify this misrepresentation.

Ms. Debra Mitchell-Braxton

Cape Girardeau

Mr. Blackwell replies: My recollection is that Ms. Mitchell-Braxton was told I was doing a story about the Washington march and the NAACP. Certainly, we discussed the organization extensively. The statements Ms. Braxton made about the NAACP are quoted accurately, and I do not believe reflect negatively upon it.