The leader of the Columbus, Ohio branch of the NAACP was met with resistance for saying Black and Latino residents should build a coalition to increase local political power.
The incident unfolded at the Ohio Black Expo in Columbus during a panel discussion about race and community resilience on May 23, 2026.
African Diaspora News Channel founder and CEO Phillip Scott led the discussion and welcomed Sean Walton, who was recently named local NAACP president. Moments after Walton started speaking, the conversation took a turn.
The NAACP leader said the population in Columbus is overwhelmingly democratic, but Black people “don’t have a voice in those rooms” where decisions about the city are made. He suggested the Black and Brown communities show “solidarity” to boost political power.
“We’ll never have the numbers, but what we can have is that solidarity… We should all be able to eat and flourish, to be able to be happy in this city,” said Walton.
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Scott said he was confused and pressed Walton for specifics. “Solidarity with whom? Can you describe who we need to be in solidarity with?” said Scott.
“For me, that’s Black and Brown people throughout the city,” Walton replied.
The crowd erupted in disagreement. “No! No! We’re sick of this!” people in the audience shouted in videos that have since gone viral.
“That’s not it!” a man in the audience yelled. Another panelist asked Walton to address the crowd’s reaction.
“I’m saying we need allies that are aligned with our issues,” said Walton, who was met with more shouting and boos.
Scott said it was a “great conversation,” but noted that he disagreed with the NAACP leader and explained why.
“If you go back to the 2024 election, Black people that did vote, showed up and voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. The Brown community, who actually had more to lose… they voted with Trump,” said Scott.
The CEO then referenced a political storm here in Los Angeles in 2022, involving then-council President Nury Martinez and Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León. The three — who have all since been ousted — were recorded in leaked audio plotting to redistrict parts of the city to consolidate Latino power and disenfranchise Black residents.
Scott told the NAACP leader, “When you’re dealing with that colonial white supremacy that comes from Latin America, you have to be strategic, you have to understand — all of them will not be aligned with us.”
Above is a brief clip of the reaction. You can watch the full panel discussion here.
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Aint that the truth. We don’t need to be brown and black, we are fine just as we are as black. In fact, the entire issue is overblown. For the most part, we are all fairly equal, we can attend any school, we are leaders in business, entertainment, sports, and the opportunities are there for us to use. The browns want us to align with the perpetual state of begging and receiving handouts rather than our own initiative. I am intelligent and finished college, worked for corporations, and now have several businesses. There are so many. There is such a thing as slavery to the system and that is a disgrace that browns seek.