NAACP president in Colorado Springs: ‘We will not relent’

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)
<p>Cornell William Brooks is the president and CEO of the NAACP.</p>

The president of the NAACP says the call for equality and justice marches on, despite an explosion near the group's office in Colorado Springs earlier this month.

Cornell Williams Brooks spoke Sunday at New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Fountain, Colorado. The ordained minister delivered an impassioned sermon.

"We will not allow that light to go out on our watch. We will not give up. We not give in. We will not give over. We will not relent," Brooks said.

He spoke of the healing power of anointing oil in the wake of that blast.

"And you ask the question what do we have? I say a little oil. A little oil of courage, a little oil of bravery, a little oil of determination," Brooks said.

The FBI is still investigating to try to determine if the explosion was a hate crime. No one was hurt. Sunday's sermon wrapped up a three-day visit by Brooks to the Colorado Springs area.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that Brooks also spoke Saturday in Colorado Springs, striking a similar tone.

"May I remind you that whether your skin is black or your uniform is blue, your life matters," he said. "Whether you're Jew or gentile, your life matters. Whether you're Native American or immigrant American, your life matters. Whether you're gay or straight, your life matters. Whether you're transgender or bisexual, your life matters. Whether you're poor, or rich, whether you're in the White House or the poor house, your life matters."