Embattled former NC NAACP president the Rev. Anthony Spearman found dead
Anthony Spearman, the former president of the North Carolina NAACP and a well-known social justice figure, has died.
His family confirmed that Spearman, 71, died Tuesday in Greensboro.
“The Spearman Family is utterly devastated by the transition of our patriarch, Reverend Dr. T. Anthony Spearman,” his family said in a statement. “He was a man of strong conviction who loved his family with every ounce of his being. We solicit your prayers as we grieve this insurmountable loss and request your consideration and privacy as we go through this season of bereavement.”
A cause of death has not been made public. The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to Spearman’s residence Tuesday after 5:08 p.m. after “family or friends” found Spearman dead.
Spearman was found unresponsive in the basement of his home, according to an audio recording of a 911 call from the residence requested by The News & Observer. The five-minute recording was redacted in several places.
A man present with the 911 caller was asked to perform CPR on Spearman, but he said “there’s no hope,” according to the recording.
An incident report from the sheriff’s office says two weapons were recovered at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that Spearman’s death is an ongoing investigation and that no additional information would be released.
His death comes five months after he was suspended from the NAACP by its national leadership, according to a letter provided to The News & Observer.
Longtime activist
The longtime activist was an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion and a former president of the North Carolina Council of Churches.
He was elected president in October 2017 and served one four-year term until Deborah Maxwell was elected in October 2021, becoming the first woman president of the N.C. NAACP.
Spearman led HKonJ marches in Raleigh as state president of the organization and advocated for civil rights in North Carolina, often alongside the Rev. William J. Barber II. He was one of the original 17 protesters at the first Moral Monday demonstrations in 2013 in downtown Raleigh held against Republican legislation.
Both Barber and Spearman were once arrested in the protests.
“North Carolina and the nation have lost a champion for justice and a beloved public servant with the death of Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman,” Barber said in a statement. “My heart is broken. Tears seem not to be enough so I have not cried yet. I’ve only been silent and in prayer for his family. I have lost a true brother in the struggle.”
Barber said Spearman’s death means several causes have lost a “freedom fighter.”
“He fought the good fight and his course has been finished. But his legacy of service and works will follow him,” Barber said. “We are certain of that. Let all people of conscience say, ‘Amen.’”
Spearman was known for his advocacy for the LGBTQ community and voting rights, such as supporting state legislation that allows felons and people on probation to vote.
Lewis Pitts, a retired lawyer and civil rights activist, said Spearman was a “drum major for justice” beffitting the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
“He provided spiritual and leadership efforts to our cause,” Pitts said. “He was just a fine man, always a tireless freedom fighter.”
Suspension from NAACP
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the national NAACP, sent Spearman a letter informing him of his suspension. In the letter, he said Spearman repeatedly refused to turn over N.C. NAACP property — which included meeting minutes and financial records — after Maxwell became state NAACP president.
Spearman was contesting the election, according to the NAACP president’s letter. He told the NAACP through a lawyer that he would not turn over the NAACP property and accused national leaders of not investigating his election complaint. But the national NAACP leadership dismissed it and described it as lacking merit.
Spearman had recently filed a lawsuit against national NAACP leadership as well as against Maxwell, alleging defamation and a conspiracy to have him removed from office, The Greensboro News & Record reported.
Mark Cummings, Spearman’s lawyer, said Wednesday he was shocked to hear about his client’s death. he said they had talked Monday about future legal action.
“We had had a Zoom conference call the night before and had made plans for a press conference about the lawsuit,” Cummings told The News & Observer. “So (his death) was a total surprise.”
Cummings said Spearman was a “mentor and like a father to me.”
“He was an honorable man, a great man. He served others. His North Star was to help the least of those.”
Claims disputed
But Spearman’s tenure as president of the state’s NAACP was plagued with controversy. The organization was placed under investigation in October 2019 due to conduct that was “inimical to the best interests of the NAACP” at the request of the national NAACP office, a March 2021 letter from the national office shows.
The letter noted that as of March 2021, Spearman’s office had not turned over documents that the national office had requested: meeting minutes, financial reports, bank statements and other documents from 2013 to 2019. The office warned him of potential suspension if the documents were not turned in.
Spearman turned in some, but not all of the requested documents to the national office, according to a September 2021 letter.
The documents omitted “vital and financial activity records” of the state NAACP office, wrote Janette McCarthy Wallace, then the interim General Counsel for NAACP Legal Department.
Cummings disputed all allegations of Spearman’s wrongdoing.
“They never took specific steps,” he said. “It was always the innuendo of it, which we think was because they didn’t have evidence.”
Leaders of the Raleigh-Apex chapter of the NAACP, who also confirmed news of his death, declined to comment.
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This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 2:29 PM.
