Two top local leaders have been suspended by the national NAACP, one of the nation’s most storied civil rights organizations.
Rev. Kobi Little, the president of the Baltimore NAACP who also leads the NAACP Maryland State Conference, and Joshua Harris, vice president of the Baltimore NAACP and treasurer for the NAACP Maryland State Conference, were both suspended this week by the national organization.
Little did not address when he learned about the suspension, the duration of the suspension, or the cause of the suspension when reached for comment Thursday.
“We are proud of the work that we have done to usher in a new generation of leadership and activism in the NAACP,” Little wrote in a text message. “Sometimes change efforts incur backlash. This is one of those moments. We are grateful to our supporters and partners for joining us to make meaningful contributions to our community.”
Little said he and Harris are “engaging the internal appeal process.”
Faith Blackburne Proctor, first vice president of the NAACP Maryland State Conference, will now act as President.
A request for comment from National President Derrick Johnson was not immediately returned.
In March 2023, vandals damaged the offices of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP — including throwing a piece of concrete through a window in the front door — while Little was working inside. Little was not injured during the attack, but was shaken up, he said at the time.
Following the fire, Little called for the resignation of two city housing officials and said that Mayor Brandon Scott “needs to either step up and lead or step aside.”
In June 2023, Little decried what he called a lack of transparency from Scott in appointing a new police commissioner and demanded he restart the search process. This followed Scott’s announcement that Commissioner Michael Harrison would step down and be succeeded by Richard Worley, who was most recently the deputy commissioner for operations.
Little was also a staunch defender of Marilyn Mosby during her trial where a federal judge opted against sentencing her to prison for perjury and mortgage fraud convictions.
At the time of her verdict, Little said Mosby was “singled out because she dared to stand up against the status quo. Because she dared to challenge white supremacy.”
He added: “And God has put a hedge around Marilyn and protected her today. But that’s not cause for us to stop the fight. We must challenge institutional racism. We must challenge the blue wall and all that comes with it. We must call for prosecutors to pursue justice, instead of conviction.”
This story will be updated.
