One very popular NAACP leader

Dot Scott is president of Charleston’s NAACP chapter, the oldest and one of the biggest in the state. In the course of our 1.5-hour conversation, she took one call from the Clinton campaign and another from the Obama campaign. Edwards? “They haven’t contacted me once,” said Scott, somewhat quizzically.

Hillary Clinton was the keynote at the NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund Banquet here last September and addressed a packed house of over 1,000 people. “We usually get 600 to 700 people – when you get 1,000, they’re coming for who’s speaking,” said Scott, adding that Clinton gave a “very impressive” speech. (Others who were there have also given glowing reviews.)

Nonetheless, Scott, the African American female voter so coveted by both campaigns, is personally supporting Sen. Obama (the NAACP remains neutral). She says Iowa gave her “the power to believe – that was all I needed.”

“Here we’ve got a candidate that could very well be the people’s candidate, not only African Americans,” says Scott. “We’ve had candidates in the past that were African American, and I think from the outcomes of those candidacies, we are discerning enough to elect a president not just because he’s black but in spite of the fact that he’s black.”

Scott was never torn between her two identities as a woman and an African American, referencing a sort of hierarchy in America of white men, white women, black men, black women. I play devil’s advocate and note that black men got the right to vote (at least on paper) half a century before any women.

“That’s a good argument,” responds Scott. “But just remember, if you were a white woman back then -- when you couldn’t vote, your husband could vote. If we couldn’t vote,” she says, putting her hand to her chest, “we had no voice.” True enough.

Scott has also actively reached out to the LGBT community here in Charleston, trying to raise visibility of gay issues and combat the homophobia that does seem to persist disproportionately in the black community here.

“It’s unfortunate, but the acceptance in the black community – ya know, that’s a pariah,” she says of being gay. “For those of us who are African American, we have to deal with all the other prejudices. I can understand why those who are also gay or lesbian, say, no, I’m not going to admit to that. That’s just an additional burden.” Scott says the NAACP still receives late night/early morning voice mails from people telling them to “go back to Africa” or comparing black folks to animals, among other hateful comments.

In terms of knowing peers who are gay, “Even those I suspect, the conversation just never comes up. So it’s difficult because I’m not able to be the bridge.”

What she has been able to do is work with LGBT leaders to host conversations and round tables and promote a dialogue around the shared goal of equality for all -- a number of people in Charleston's gay community have also become active members of the NAACP (almost all of them are white). In fact, at last year’s banquet where Clinton spoke, one of the main awards was given to an out white lesbian, Janet Segal. (Sorry for the blunt racial distinctions here, but there’s no PC way to explore this cross section of race and sexuality without simply telling readers who’s white, black, etc.)

“(Segal) was in the book, she talks about her partner in the book -- that’s putting the information out there,” Scott says of Segal’s inclusion. “That’s the kind of stuff I can do.”