Amid 'civil-rights crisis,' NAACP convention set to open in Phila.

Black churches are burning in the South; a white, Confederate-flag-waving gunman killed nine in Charleston, S.C.; and police violence against African American men has provoked angry protests in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Ferguson, Mo.

Now the NAACP, the nation's oldest and largest civil-rights group, and one struggling for modern relevance, will bring 8,000 people to Philadelphia for its annual conference, which begins Saturday at the Convention Center.

The theme: "Pursuing Liberty in the Face of Injustice."

"It is a moment of civil-rights crisis, make no mistake about it," NAACP president and CEO Cornell William Brooks said. "This is a convention dedicated to launching action plans, boots on the ground, laws on the books."

President Obama will speak. So will Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the first black woman to hold the nation's top law enforcement post. Organizers expect former President Bill Clinton to attend.

The five-day convention is where the NAACP sets goals for the next year. It comes 11 weeks before Pope Francis arrives in Philadelphia, and a year before the city hosts the Democratic National Convention.

The event promises panels, speakers, awards, and receptions. At the first mass meeting Sunday, NAACP board chairperson Roslyn Brock will speak about challenges faced by communities of color.

Deandra Jefferson won't be there to hear it.

The 22-year-old organizer of the big "Philly Is Baltimore" protest says that for people like her, the NAACP is too old, tired, and meek.

"Sometimes they try to appease the majority too much," she said. "The NAACP represents a more mellow approach."

For instance, when discussing city school closings, she said, people must recognize that many shuttered schools are in poor black neighborhoods and that redlining - discrimination where banks and insurance companies limit inner-city loans - helped weaken those communities, she said.

"The NAACP and organizations like that, back in the '60s, are about, 'If you respect yourself, people will respect you,' " she said.

NAACP leaders reject criticism that the group has become timid.

Next month, the NAACP plans to lead a 860-mile march from Selma, Ala., to Washington to call for protection of voting rights and criminal-justice reform.

On Thursday, after the South Carolina legislature voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the State House grounds, NAACP officials pledged to quickly consider lifting their 15-year economic boycott of the state.

Gov. Nikki Haley quickly signed the bill that will send the flag to a museum.

"Sometimes, when you're the oldest, in later years, people question your relevance," said Philadelphia chapter president Rodney Muhammad. "The test for us is, 'Are we ready for this kind of time we're in?' The answer is, 'Yes, we are.' . . . When we come out of this convention, people are going to see the validity and the determination of this organization."

The NAACP, founded in 1909, works to achieve political, educational, social, and economic equality and eliminate racial discrimination. It seeks enactment and enforcement of federal, state, and local civil-rights laws.

Its members have included some of the most prominent rights leaders, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It also faces modern quandaries.

NAACP revenue has dropped precipitously, from $43 million in 2012 to $31 million in 2013, the year of its most recent tax filing. That year saw a $5.7 million shortfall.

Last year, the national office suspended four Philadelphia leaders in a move to silence a public feud between then-chapter president J. Whyatt Mondesire and three board members.

Board members Donald Birts, the Rev. Elisha Morris, and Sid Booker questioned Mondesire's financial management. A lawsuit is pending.

Muhammad, leader of Nation of Islam Mosque No. 12 on North Broad Street, was elected chapter president in December. He said this week that a review of chapter finances found no missing funds.

Philadelphia was chosen as the convention site because of its historic role in American liberty and its easy accessibility by plane, rail, and car. Hospitality officials say they expect $10.5 million worth of economic benefit to the city.

Activities will include a retail expo, health pavilion, and career fair. Business-minded participants can pitch an idea at a Shark Tank television show casting call on Saturday.

Like other cities, Philadelphia has faced conflicts between police and the community in recent months.

Protests erupted after the death of Brandon Tate-Brown, 26, who was shot by police after a car stop in December. The district attorney declined to charge the officers, who said Tate-Brown had struggled with them and then lunged for a gun inside his car.

When 25-year-old Freddie Gray was fatally injured after being shoved head first into a police wagon in Baltimore, protesters marched through Philadelphia.

"Our lives, our votes, and our schools matter," Brooks said. "We believe the country is looking for leadership, but real leadership, not relegated to Washington or any one individual, but leadership found in NAACP branches across the country, young and old."

215-854-4906@JeffGammage