CAIN: To the University community
Tuesday morning, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at U.Va. released a letter concerning my candidacy for Student Council President and work within the Black community. I am extremely hurt that of all the organizations to come out against me, the “NAACP at U.Va.” was the one. I am publicly addressing these concerns because I was not given the respect or opportunity to address or respond to them privately. The “NAACP at U.Va.” is in quotes because it has come to my attention that the individuals who actually authored the statement were the organization’s president and two vice presidents — not the entire executive board. Since the letter’s release, I have received personal statements of regret and support from several NAACP executive board members and do not consider this statement to be speaking on behalf of the organization in its entirety. In this column, I will respond to the letter's contents and call for a retraction.