Former NC NAACP leader’s death ruled a suicide, autopsy says

Subject warning: This story contains mention of suicide.

Rev. Anthony Spearman, a civil rights leader who led the State Conference of the NAACP until he was ousted in a controversial election, died by suicide last summer, the Office of the State Medical Examiner said Tuesday.

Spearman, 71, was found dead by family members on a couch in his home on July 19, according to another medical examiner’s report filed shortly after his death.

“The decedent was last seen the night before on a Zoom meeting and reported to be in good spirits during the meeting,” the newly released medical examiner’s report said.

The family released a statement at the time of his death, saying he “was a man of strong conviction who loved his family with every ounce of his being.”

The report said that Guilford County sheriff’s detectives reported an incident several days earlier involving Spearman and another person where a firearm was discharged. The other person was released from custody.

“Due to the circumstances, the detectives requested that an autopsy be performed,” the report said.

The News & Record of Greensboro cited a magistrate’s report and 911 call in reporting that on July 13 a man was arrested at Spearman’s home after a report of an armed robbery where a gun was discharged.

NC NAACP organizational problems

The News & Observer reported in the fall that the NC NAACP was in turmoil due to internal conflict, disciplinary action from its national organization and financial turmoil that some said could hinder its operation.

Much of the conflict gripping the organization included criticism directed at Spearman, who led the NC NAACP from 2017 to 2021.

Among the problems documented:

▪ The group’s treasurer said bank statements reflect years of payments made to unidentifiable parties, with hundreds of thousands of dollars unaccounted for.

▪ The NC NAACP remained under a punitive “administratorship” that its national organization launched in 2019.

▪ Factions within the organization’s membership were passionately at odds. A group of Spearman’s supporters accused the national organization of unjustly commandeering North Carolina’s NAACP.

Spearman’s defenders were active in a group he helped found before his death: Justice Coalition USA. It describes itself as a “coalition of NAACP members seeking redress of the issues that have disenfranchised local and state NAACP chapters.”

Spearman, a past president of the N.C. Council of Churches, succeeded Rev. William Barber II as the state president. He led HKonJ marches in Raleigh as state president of the organization and regularly participated in Moral Monday demonstrations in 2013 in downtown Raleigh held against Republican legislation.

If you or someone you are concerned about is at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by texting or dialing 988. Or call 1-800-273-TALK. The National Alliance of Mental Illness North Carolina also offers virtual support groups and programming across the state.