As FAMU’s leadership crisis deepens, its NAA is nowhere to be found

NAA President Artisha Polk
& Marva Johnson

As FAMU faces what many alumni, students, and faculty describe as a political takeover by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration, the organization historically tasked with defending the institution has gone silent — and critics say its absence amounts to a surrender.

The FAMU National Alumni Association, led by President Artisha Polk, has drawn fierce backlash for its near-total public silence in the face of mounting turmoil under the controversial presidency of Marva Brown Johnson. Rather than rallying opposition or articulating a defense of the university’s independence, the association has remained conspicuously quiet, even as high-profile alumni, local chapters, and advocacy groups have mobilized in protest.

The discontent has grown when Ms. Johnson, whose appointment earlier this year was met with skepticism from the outset, named Florida Lottery Secretary John Davis, another DeSantis ally and longtime Republican operative, as the university’s new athletic director. To many within the FAMU community, the move was not about athletics but ideology: one more signal that the governor’s office is directing major personnel decisions at one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black universities.

Alumni, are also wonder why the Polk and the NAA have been as "silent as church mice" on the future of football coach James Colzie III.

Through it all, the alumni association has been missing in action.

“This alumni leadership is so ineffective, THEY just here for the pictures NOT to really do anything,” read one widely circulated social media post from a frustrated graduate. “Ms. Polk is just kissing up to MAGA Marva and stunting for the ‘FB & the Gram’… The NAA ain’t said one mumbling word!!! Crickets!!!”

The criticism is biting, but it is not isolated. In private messages, group chats, and public forums, alumni have expressed deepening dismay over what they see as the association’s abandonment of its role as guardian of the university’s legacy and autonomy.

While local alumni chapters and individuals in the 5,000 member grassroots group “Keepers of the Flame” have organized, petitioned, and even filed lawsuits challenging the administration’s decisions, the national body has largely refrained from public comment or visible resistance.

Instead, under Ms. Polk’s leadership, the association has appeared to prioritize ceremony over substance — attending events, posing for photos, and issuing generic statements celebrating FAMU’s history while avoiding confrontation with its current leadership.

Prominent alumni have not held back. Filmmaker Will Packer, Chekesha Kidd and former ABC News president Kim Godwin have been among the constant vocal critics of the administration’s direction.  

“When the people who are supposed to be your advocates become your appeasers, the institution suffers,” said Marcus Thomas, a 1998 graduate and member of a local alumni association chapter. “Right now, FAMU is suffering from a lack of courageous leadership where it matters most.”

The association did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Ms. Polk has not issued any detailed public statements addressing the concerns around Ms. Johnson’s presidency or the appointment of Mr. Davis.

For many alumni, the NAA's silence is not tactical. It is a profound dereliction of duty.

“Alumni Associations are meant to be a firewall,” said Cynthia Howell, a professor emeritus of history and triple FAMU alum. “Instead, it has become a facilitator. Its inaction isn’t neutral — it’s complicit.”

As tensions continue to mount, the question hanging over the university is no longer just about who leads FAMU, but who will truly stand up for it. For now, the alumni association’s voice is absent — and in its place, a chorus of outrage grows only louder.