NAACP Chapter Startled by Resignation of Leader

Willis Edwards, the controversial president of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood chapter of the NAACP, resigned his post Saturday night in a surprise announcement at the group’s annual Image Awards ceremony.

Edwards made the announcement in a written statement at the taping of the 22nd annual awards ceremony at the Wiltern Theatre, as members of a splinter group of the civil rights organization picketed outside calling for his resignation.

Edwards, who headed the organization for eight years and brought a higher profile to the group through his ties with Hollywood celebrities and politicians such as Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, had become the target of sharp criticism from members of the splinter group. His critics accused him of deserting blacks’ fight for equal rights, using his position instead to hobnob with the stars and draw attention to himself.

In a statement printed in the event’s program, Edwards said he was keeping a vow he made two years ago to quit his post once the NAACP chapter had developed “a strong bond with the (entertainment) industry” and the Image Awards ceremonies were regularly broadcast on television. He said he had now achieved his goals, saying he considered his “job done” and would now make way “for new ideas and for young leadership to take helm of the chapter.”

This fall, branch members accused Edwards of wrongfully accepting $25,000 for serving as co-executive producer of the 1988 Image Awards. The awards honor those who have presented positive images of blacks in entertainment.

In September, the branch voted to demand Edwards’ resignation on the grounds that he violated bylaws of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People prohibiting officers from accepting money for group-related projects, said Connie Watson, who once challenged him for the chapter presidency.

Edwards denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he had received permission from the group’s national headquarters in Baltimore to accept the $25,000 payment.

He wrote that first vice president Sandra J. Evers-Manly would assume his position.