President of the Sumter County branch of the NAACP, Eugene Edge, recalled conversations he had with President Carter. “He always had a story to tell me.”

Edge told how they would discuss affairs in the black and white communities: “There is some racism in the white community, and he would advise me on some things that we could do to, to deter that, and because, you know, I was involved in the NAACP, so he would offer suggestions.”

At the time, Edge was not the president, but was on the executive committee. Edge explained how the executive committee made decisions on discriminative cases or those involving police brutality. “If there was enough evidence that we saw there was enough probable cause to go after that case, you know, the executive committee would make those decisions.”

He told how the conversations often centered with ways to support the black community. While Edge recalled the conversations warmly, he mentioned that President Carter once did come close to becoming involved in local politics. “I’ve never told many people this story.”

“He called me over to his house one day, and we sat in his living room. And he said that some of the people from the white community was concerned that Dr. Marshall, who was the president of the NAACP at the time, was dividing the community with his strategy, and they had contacted President Carter, and to see what he could do.”

The former President considered becoming involved. “He said Rosalynn and I, when we left the White House, we said that we would not get involved in local politics, and we have maintained that, we’ve stuck to that. And he said but you tell me what you want me to do, if you want me to stay out of it, or get involved. And he said here’s my proposal. He said that I’m very close friends with Julian Bond, who was the national president at the time.” Carter offered to make a call to Bond. “We could move you to be president of the Sumter County branch of the NAACP.”

Carter asked for Edge’s advice. “But you tell me now, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to stay out of it or do you want me to proceed?”

Edge was against the plan. “I said well, Mr. President, the NAACP is set up as a democracy just like this country. The president is voted in by the members of the branch, and the president is voted out. I said it would be unethical for somebody to come in who is not a member and remove him as president and while the members have already voted him in. I said Dr. Marshall may be controversial, but yet he speaks for the hurt and the pain of a lot of the people in the black community. My advice to you is to stay out of it.”

Edge detailed his own views of Marshall: “I agree with some of the sentiments of the white community, Dr. Marshall was quite controversial. I understood that, but at the same time, some of the things that he did, it was needed to be done.” He noted changing the name for the 44th freedom fund banquet for the NAACP to the John D. Marshall Freedom Fund Gala.

For more stories about Jimmy Carter please go to www.americustimesrecorder.com/category/jimmy-carter/