The Gantt Report - News reports indicate that the Florida State Branch of the NAACP is jumping on the Charlie Crist bandwagon. Crist, if you don’t know, is the Republican Governor of the State of Florida.

Crist spoke at the recent NAACP’s Freedom Fund dinner and commented on his role in getting the Sunshine State to compensate the family of Martin Lee Anderson, a teenager that was killed while in custody at a law enforcement juvenile boot camp in Panama City, Florida.

Governor Crist has done some significant things but I’m not quite ready to crown him the new “White Hope”!

The best thing, to me, that Governor Christ has done is his work to restore the rights of African Americans who had lost their constitutional rights to do things like vote because of being incarcerated.

Thank you Governor Crist for that.

The endorsement of current GOP leaders by a so-called leading Black civil rights group is questionable to me because it seems the group is picking and choosing which Republicans to honor and praise.

A rudimentary look at political history will reveal that Republican politicians have done just as much, or more, for Blacks than the political party that Black voters and Black citizens love the most.

Republicans are given credit for “freeing the slaves”, passing Martin Luther King holiday legislation, creating 8-A and other Minority Business programs in government, appointing Blacks to important government positions and more.

Is Charlie Crist the best Republican Governor ever for Black people? Time will tell!

But let me tell you what the NAACP won’t say!

It’s all about the Benjamins! Symbolic gestures by politicians are appreciated but Florida politicians exist to divide up the state’s money. Elected officials meet to tax people, collect taxes and to spend those collected dollars across the state, primarily giving cash to cities and counties.

What has the good Governor Charlie Crist done to improve Black Floridian’s access to bank loans, business loans, mortgages and money? Well, he quietly reinstituted Jeb Bush’s “One Florida” program that abolished Affirmative Action. He has sought to hire Black staffers that he could control rather than hire the most qualified state employees.

Do Blacks have better, more affordable health care? Are more Black males graduating from college? Are Black neighborhoods safer? Do you have someone in your family that is unemployed? Is life better for you now than it was two years ago, four years ago, eight years ago?

Prosecutorial misconduct is obvious in Jena, Louisiana but those same practices are just as widespread in Florida. No, no fighting school kids have been prosecuted for attempted murder but almost every Black inmate in the Sunshine State has been “over charged” and many have been victims of malicious prosecution and excessive probation.

When similar law violations have occurred, whites get charged with petty theft when Blacks get charged with grand larceny. Whites get charged with trespassing when Blacks get charged with burglary. Whites get charged with simple assault when Blacks get charged with felony assault. White kids commit pranks and Black kids commit felonies!

I have no problem with he NAACP’s support of Governor Charlie Crist but I think the support should be mutual.

It’s one thing to give the Anderson family and the NAACP state taxpayer dollars but how much of his own money has Crist shown he will give Black Floridians?

I don’t know but if you look at the Governor’s and the Republican Party’s multi-million dollar campaign expenditures, Blacks get little or nothing, mostly nothing.

There will probably be more Black candidates running for office in 2008 as Republicans in the State of Florida than ever before. I wonder if they will spend money with their Black brothers and sisters in the same fashion as their beloved Republican heroes?

I commend Governor Crist for all good that he has done. I believe he could do more and would do more if the Blacks he has chosen to listen to would tell the Governor beneficial things to do such as spend more money with Black businesses as state vendors and also political professionals.

We may look alike to some but Black community members come in all shapes, sizes and beliefs. You cannot suggest that modern day Uncle Tom is just as appropriate as modern day Frederick Douglas or Rosa Parks.

Congratulations on being recognized by the NAACP Governor Christ. It was people like your self that started the organization.

All Black Floridians hold a place in their hearts for the NAACP. However, some of us feel when they buried the “N” word they should have buried “colored people” too!