Dr. Vanessa Toolsie
The president of the NAACP’s Orange County, Calif., chapter announced his resignation in a Facebook post on Aug. 2, accusing the organization of anti-Asian racism.
The organization’s first South Asian leader, Dr. Vanessa Toolsie, held the position for less than six months. She was first elected vice president in 2021.
In an extensive Facebook post on the Orange Country branch page, Toolsie said she had notified other branch leaders a few weeks ago of her intention to leave. She accused the branch of knowingly excluding her from their annual event and sabotaging her with neglected emails and misinformation about the meeting.
In addition, she noted that “a few loud and discriminatory people” have repeatedly attacked her heritage in emails and meetings. Toolsie is of Indian descent and was born in Trinidad.
The post, which was shared on Sunday morning before being deleted and republished later that night, read as follows: “I’ve been trying to resolve this internally for months, but no action has been taken by my superiors until I announced my resignation. to curb harassment and marginalization of racism.. Thanks to all the Branch Executive Committee members and Branch members who repeatedly tried to stand up for me and be proud of me during the constant attacks on emails, meetings, etc.; I really appreciate it you.”
In response to her post, the branch’s communications, news and advocacy chairman, John Cummings, said: “I am very concerned about this person and the allegations being made. We do not want to ignore or dehumanize, or in any way, knowingly or not. cause any questions or concerns.”
Toolsie’s last day as president will be August 31, and the division’s first vice president, Tiara Robinson, will take over. Toolsie said she was initially hesitant to take on a leadership role because she wasn’t black, but did so after learning about the founders’ varied backgrounds.
