Former state NAACP president Rev. Anthony Spearman found dead

The Rev. T. Anthony Spearman, the former president of the North Carolina NAACP and civil rights activist, has died.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office says anyone with information on Spearman's death is asked to contact Detective S.M. Garlick at 336-641-5966. The sheriff's office said Spearman's death was an ongoing investigation and they had no further comment.

Spearman's son, Anthony, said Wednesday that his father died Tuesday at his home in Greensboro. He said he didn’t know the cause of death.

Spearman, who was in his early 70s, was a champion of social justice and long an advocate for the sick or imprisoned.

He famously camped outside the governor’s residence in Raleigh for more than a week in an effort to obtain pardons for two men whose murder charges were dismissed after courts overturned their convictions.

"I have lost a true brother in the struggle,” Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, another former NC NAACP president, said in a statement Wednesday. “North Carolina and the nation have lost a champion of justice and a beloved public servant. We have all lost a freedom fighter, a man deeply committed to justice, and a man of true faith."

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office responded to Spearman's home on Tuesday night. The office didn’t immediately respond to requests for additional information.

Spearman, who won numerous awards for his advocacy work, was elected president of the state organization in 2017 after serving six years as a vice president. He previously served on the Hickory School Board and was president of the N.C. Council of Churches.

On Wednesday, Spearman's family provided WRAL News a written statement about his passing.

"The Spearman family is utterly devastated by the transition of our patriarch, Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman," the statement read. "He was a man of strong conviction who loved his family with every ounce of his being.

"We solicit your prayers as we grieve this insurmountable loss and request your consideration and privacy as we go through this season of bereavement."

His stint as NC NAACP president ended last year.

He filed a lawsuit last month against a number of state and national NAACP officials, accusing them of defamation and conspiracy to remove him from the presidency. He had said the effort against him was in part because he supported a former NAACP employee in her claims of sexual harassment against another NAACP leader.

Spearman claimed that the defendants, including Gerald Givens, head of Raleigh-Apex NAACP, conspired to remove him from the presidency, going to the national NAACP to intervene.

Givens and representatives of the national NAACP didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

NAACP president added to NC woman's lawsuit against organization

Spearman also alleged he was ousted because of his “growing national profile" and that, to get rid of him, state NAACP officials falsely accused him of misappropriating association funds. Earlier this year, the state NAACP treasurer suggested that criminal charges against Spearman would be appropriate.

Spearman was known to use the courts to stand up for his beliefs. He played key roles in at least three lawsuits challenging state government policies focused on education funding and voter rights, according to a bio on the archived state NAACP webpage.