E. D. Mondainé

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Elbert Darrell ("E. D.") Mondainé (born 1958/59) is a pastor and political activist in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon.

He was ordained in 1982 as a Southern Baptist minister. He moved to Portland in 1985.[1] In Portland he founded the church in 1988 and gradually became influential in local politics. He became president of the local chapter of the NAACP in 2018. He initially ran for reelection in 2020, but after an "accountability group" of NAACP members, Rise Up PDX, ran a slate of candidates against his administration[2] and the Portland Mercury published an exposé alleging criminal and unethical behavior throughout his career,[3][4] he dropped his reelection bid on October 15.[5][6] Two days after the Mercury story was published, the chapter board voted 7-3 for Mondainé's immediate resignation. Mondainé initially refused to step down, and was quoted in the Mercury asserting that the board was in fact standing by him.[7] He resigned as Portland NAACP president effective immediately on Tuesday October 20, 2020,[8] though he may have retained a title of second vice-president of the Oregon-Washington-Alaska regional chapter of the organization.[9]

Early and personal life[]

Mondainé grew up in a housing project in St. Louis, where he learned to play piano. He married the mother of his twin sons, Christopher and Elbert Jr., in July 1994.[1] They divorced the following year. He was later married and divorced again.[3]

In 2001 Mondainé's son Christopher moved into his own home. He called 911 shortly after, and his father was arrested; documents from the arrest allege that he had forced his way into Christopher's home, and grabbed him by the neck, leaving a two inch scratch mark. The case was not prosecuted due to no witnesses being willing to testify.[3]

Religious leadership[]

Mondainé founded the church, an unaffiliated church close to the Pentecostal tradition, in 1988.[10] The church was originally on North Lombard St., and soon moved to the intersection of North Kilpatrick and North Denver streets. The congregation was about 100 people in 1994[1] and 200 in 1998; many were young and financially challenged.[11] By 2004, the church had opened or was in the process of launching 10 businesses (including the former Friday's Espresso, now Po'Shines), and was described as an engine of economic development in the surrounding Kenton neighborhood.[10]

We don't allow you to be a victim here. You can only be a victim as long as you let yourself be a victim.

— Mondainé, describing the church in 1998[11]

In 2006, Mondainé organized church leaders across the country for an event condemning school violence, and brought members of his own congregations from Portland and St. Louis. The "Voices of a Thousand Angels" concert was held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[12]

Political and civic activities[]

By 2017, Mondainé had become a vice president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP.[13] After Jo Ann Hardesty stepped down in March 2017 during her successful run for Portland City Council,[14] Mondainé was elected president in 2018.[15][16] Mondainé sat on the hiring board that recommended Danielle Outlaw as chief of the Portland Police Bureau in 2017, and praised her when she suddenly resigned at the end of 2019.[17]

In November 2019, leadership and members of the NAACP accused Mondainé of abusing his position with "misogyny, physical threats and mismanagement of money".[18][19] The chapter rescheduled an executive meeting to subvert community involvement. In response to the allegations, Mondainé referenced President Donald Trump, stating "It grieves me to think that we would have the energy to fight with each other, knowing that we have a racist politician in the highest office of the land."[20]

In his roles with the church and the NAACP, and as a musician,[21] Mondainé has advocated policy positions throughout his career[22] including rallying against labeling unreinforced masonry buildings.[23][24][25] He gave a speech in downtown Portland during the 2020 George Floyd protests.[15]

Following allegations of sexism, bullying, and financial impropriety in 2019, an "accountability group" of NAACP members organized under the name Rise Up PDX,[26] challenging Mondainé and four of his fellow officers in the 2020 NAACP election. Sharon Gary-Smith, Tamia Dreary, Donovan Smith, Natalie Rush, Rhyan M. Hills, Michael "Chappie" Grice, Cynthia Fowler, Leesha Posey, Albert Lee, Susan Elliott, Beth Woodward, Daniel Portis-Cathers, and Lily Copenagle are running to replace current officers and at-large positions. Mondainé sent "letters of dismissal" to several members opposing him, but the national NAACP organization stated that he had no power to remove them from membership.[27]

Mondainé and the local NAACP were represented on the website of a coalition called United for Portland as endorsing the reelection of Portland mayor Ted Wheeler.[28] Rise Up PDX issued a press release, alleging that NAACP branch membership was not consulted on the decision, and that the bylaws of the NAACP prohibit such an endorsement. The text was removed from the website within 24 hours, and Mondainé stated to local news outlets that his endorsement was not on behalf of the NAACP.[2][29][30]

Commentary on Black Lives Matter protests[]

Mondainé gave a speech in downtown Portland during the 2020 George Floyd protests.[15] On July 23, 2020, The Washington Postpublished an op-ed by Mondainé, where he blamed protesters as co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement.[31] His op-ed was followed by interviews with news outlets such as National Public Radio[32] and CNN.[33] Locally, founders of the contested the views represented by Mondainé in the essay, suggesting that the discomfort and messiness of protests are necessary to the effort to effect change.[34]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Trappen, Michelle (July 16, 1994). "Man With a Mission". The Oregonian.
  2. ^ a b Peterson, Danny (2020-10-11). "PDX NAACP members say president gave improper mayor endorsement". KOIN 6 News. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  3. ^ a b c Zielinski, Alex (October 14, 2020). "In Bad Faith". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  4. ^ "Portland NAACP leader E.D. Mondainé accused of sexual, psychological abuse in Portland Mercury report". The Oregonian. October 14, 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  5. ^ Zielinski, Alex (October 15, 2020). "E.D. Mondainé Exits Race to Remain NAACP President". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  6. ^ Sparling, Zane (October 15, 2020). "Mondainé leaving NAACP presidency after sexual abuse allegations". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  7. ^ Zielinski, Alex (October 17, 2020). "Portland NAACP Board Votes for E.D. Mondainé's Immediate Resignation". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  8. ^ "NAACP | NAACP Issues Statement on Resignation of former president of the Portland NAACP, Rev. Elbert Mondainé". NAACP. October 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Zielinski, Alex (October 20, 2020). "E.D. Mondainé Has Resigned as Portland NAACP President". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  10. ^ a b SULLIVAN, TIM (September 17, 2004). "THE BUSINESS OF A CHURCH". The Oregonian.
  11. ^ a b REINHARD, DAVID (June 28, 1998). "PORTLAND'S OWN 'JOSEPH'" (PDF). The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Movement aimed at school violence". The Lancaster New Era. October 25, 2006.
  13. ^ Bernstein, Maxine (July 18, 2017). "MAX attack suspect back in court for scheduling of bail hearing". The Oregonian.
  14. ^ Dirk VanderHart (7 March 2018). "City Council Candidate Jo Ann Hardesty is Stepping Down from the NAACP, Following Concerns About Dual Role". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  15. ^ a b c Ryan, Jim (May 29, 2020). "Portland NAACP hosts downtown demonstration in wake of George Floyd's in-custody death (watch)". The Oregonian. Advance Local.
  16. ^ "Executive Officers". Portland NAACP 1120 Branch. Portland NAACP.
  17. ^ Sorenson, Saundra (January 9, 2020). "Community Surprised at Police Chief's Departure, Concerned by Quick Replacement". The Skanner. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  18. ^ Sparling, Zane. "Misconduct charges throw Portland NAACP into turmoil". Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  19. ^ Teamwork, About WW Staff. "Murmurs: Candidate and NAACP Leader Tussle". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  20. ^ Sparling, Zane (14 November 2019). "Misconduct charges throw Portland NAACP into turmoil". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Antiquated copyright laws threaten aging musicians: Guest opinion". The Oregonian. June 27, 2018.
  22. ^ Sorenson, Saundra (October 7, 2020). "THE SKANNER ENDORSEMENTS: Multnomah County, Portland Voters Consider Campaign Finance Limits, Universal Preschool, Psilocybin". The Skanner. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  23. ^ Blair Stenvick (5 January 2019). "NAACP Coalition Rallies Against Portland Ordinance That Labels Earthquake-Unsafe Buildings". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  24. ^ Zielinski, Alex (September 12, 2019). "Portland's Unelected Leaders". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  25. ^ Tolbert, Antjuan (October 9, 2018). "Portland NAACP Speaks on the City Council Resolution on Unreinforced Masonry Buildings". The Skanner. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  26. ^ "Rise Up PDX". Rise Up PDX.
  27. ^ Sparling, Zane. "Five candidates seek leadership change for Portland NAACP". Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  28. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 7, 2020). "A New Coalition Will Spend the Campaign Dollars Mayor Ted Wheeler Can't". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  29. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 9, 2020). "A Group of NAACP Dissidents Challenges Branch President's Participation in Mayoral Independent Expenditure Campaign". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  30. ^ Powell, Meerah (October 10, 2020). "Portland NAACP president says the group does not endorse Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  31. ^ E.D. Mondainé (23 July 2020). "Opinion | Portland's protests were supposed to be about black lives. Now, they're white spectacle". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  32. ^ Martin, Michel (July 25, 2020). "Portland NAACP President On Protests As A 'White Spectacle'". National Public Radio / All Things Considered. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  33. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  34. ^ Graves, Lincoln (2020-07-30). "Black Millennial Movement seeks to offer different perspective among Black leaders". KATU. Retrieved 2020-10-18.

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