The president of the NAACP Nashville is stepping down immediately. In a statement posted to Facebook overnight, Keith Caldwell says he is “both thankful and challenged” by his nearly two years in charge.
He notes, but does not detail, his “philosophical differences” with the leader of the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP.
Caldwell recaps what he considers his greatest successes in two years heading the branch, such as helping start the Metro Community Oversight Board, which reviews allegations of misconduct against Metro police.
Nashville’s NAACP also advocated for legislation that would prevent mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders, like in the case of Cyntoia Brown, and worked with public schools for equity in education.
“I will continue to labor in the vineyard in other capacities as we work to make justice a reality in community,” Caldwell wrote.
He was among organizers of the “I Will Breathe” rally on May 30. After the event devolved into clashes with police and downtown vandalism, Caldwell said a “beautiful moment” had been marred.
“I don’t think it reflects on the tone of the rally today. But it does reflect on the unrest that is here, and about how policing is done in this city,” he told WPLN News. “It’s just as much a testament to people’s disenchantment as the nonviolent rally was today.”
Prior to the NAACP, Caldwell was involved with Black Lives Matter Nashville. He has pushed for voting rights for former felons and expanded affordable housing in the city.
Caldwell was recently in the news when a practice target was placed in his yard, prompting a police investigation into possible intimidation. But police soon found a neighbor — who knows Caldwell — who said he’d placed the item in the yard because it looked like a flower.
Caldwell then asked for the case to be heard in mental health court, saying he was convinced it was not race-related.
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