E. D. Mondainé

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. They divorced the following year. He was later married and divorced again.

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.

Mondainé founded the Celebration Tabernacle church, an unaffiliated church close to the Pentecostal tradition, in 1988.{{cite news |title=THE BUSINESS OF A CHURCH |date=September 17, 2004 | work=The Oregonian |first=TIM |last=SULLIVAN }} 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 and 200 in 1998; many were young and financially challenged.{{cite news |title=PORTLAND'S OWN 'JOSEPH' |date=June 28, 1998 | work=The Oregonian |first=DAVID |last=REINHARD|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/images/blogimages/2020/10/14/1602696636-portlands_own_joseph__oregonian_the_portland_or___june_28_1998__pe04.pdf }} 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.

{{quote|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}}

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.{{cite news |title=Movement aimed at school violence |date=October 25, 2006 | work=The Lancaster New Era }}

By 2017, Mondainé had become a vice president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP.{{cite news |title=MAX attack suspect back in court for scheduling of bail hearing |date=July 18, 2017 | work=The Oregonian |first=Maxine |last=Bernstein }} After Jo Ann Hardesty stepped down in March 2017 during her successful run for Portland City Council,{{Cite web |title=City Council Candidate Jo Ann Hardesty is Stepping Down from the NAACP, Following Concerns About Dual Role |author=Dirk VanderHart |work=Portland Mercury |date=7 March 2018 |access-date=14 October 2020 |url= https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2018/03/07/19724887/city-council-candidate-jo-ann-hardesty-is-stepping-down-from-the-naacp-following-concerns-about-dual-role}} Mondainé was elected president in 2018.{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Jim |title=Portland NAACP hosts downtown demonstration in wake of George Floyd's in-custody death (watch) |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/05/portland-naacp-to-convene-downtown-demonstration-in-wake-of-george-floyds-in-custody-death.html |website=The Oregonian |publisher=Advance Local |date=May 29, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Executive Officers |url=https://www.pdxnaacp.org/executive-officer |website=Portland NAACP 1120 Branch |publisher=Portland NAACP}} He 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.{{Cite news |last=Sorenson |first=Saundra |date=January 9, 2020 |title=Community Surprised at Police Chief's Departure, Concerned by Quick Replacement |language=en-gb |work=The Skanner |url=https://www.theskanner.com/news/northwest/29502-community-surprised-at-police-chief-s-departure-concerned-by-quick-replacement |access-date=2020-10-15}}

In November 2019, leadership and members of the NAACP accused Mondainé of abusing his position with "misogyny, physical threats and mismanagement of money".{{Cite news|last=Sparling|first=Zane|title=Misconduct charges throw Portland NAACP into turmoil|url=https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/443663-357730-misconduct-charges-throw-portland-naacp-into-turmoil|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Pamplin Media Group|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=Murmurs: Candidate and NAACP Leader Tussle|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/10/09/murmurs-candidate-and-naacp-leader-tussle/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Willamette Week|date=9 October 2019 |language=en-US}} 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."{{Cite web |title=Misconduct charges throw Portland NAACP into turmoil |last=Sparling |first=Zane |work=Portland Tribune |date=14 November 2019 |access-date=14 October 2020 |url= https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/443663-357730-misconduct-charges-throw-portland-naacp-into-turmoil}}

In his roles with the church and the NAACP, and as a musician,{{cite news |title=Antiquated copyright laws threaten aging musicians: Guest opinion |date=June 27, 2018 | work=The Oregonian }} Mondainé has advocated policy positions throughout his career{{Cite news |last=Sorenson |first=Saundra |date=October 7, 2020 |title=THE SKANNER ENDORSEMENTS: Multnomah County, Portland Voters Consider Campaign Finance Limits, Universal Preschool, Psilocybin |language=en-gb |work=The Skanner |url=https://www.theskanner.com/news/northwest/30555-multnomah-county-portland-voters-consider-campaign-finance-limits-universal-preschool-psilocybin |access-date=2020-10-15}} including rallying against labeling unreinforced masonry buildings.{{Cite web |title=NAACP Coalition Rallies Against Portland Ordinance That Labels Earthquake-Unsafe Buildings |author=Blair Stenvick |work=Portland Mercury |date=5 January 2019 |access-date=14 October 2020 |url= https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/01/05/25420001/naacp-coalition-rallies-against-portland-ordinance-that-labels-earthquake-unsafe-buildings}}{{Cite news |last=Zielinski |first=Alex |date=September 12, 2019 |title=Portland's Unelected Leaders |language=en |work=Portland Mercury |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/portland-handbook-2019/2019/09/12/27128502/portlands-unelected-leaders |access-date=2020-10-14}}{{Cite news |last=Tolbert |first=Antjuan |date=October 9, 2018 |title=Portland NAACP Speaks on the City Council Resolution on Unreinforced Masonry Buildings |language=en-gb |work=The Skanner |url=https://www.theskanner.com/news/newsbriefs/27536-portland-naacp-speaks-on-the-city-council-resolution-on-unreinforced-masonry-buildings |access-date=2020-10-15}} He gave a speech in downtown Portland during the 2020 George Floyd protests.

Following allegations of sexism, bullying, and financial impropriety in 2019, an "accountability group" of NAACP members organized under the name Rise Up PDX,{{Cite web|url=https://www.riseuppdx.org/|title=Rise Up PDX|website=Rise Up PDX|access-date=2020-10-28|archive-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031023007/https://www.riseuppdx.org/|url-status=dead}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Sparling |first=Zane |title=Five candidates seek leadership change for Portland NAACP |language=en-us |url=https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/482919-389268-five-candidates-seek-leadership-change-for-portland-naacp- |access-date=2020-10-15}}

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.{{Cite news |last=Jaquiss |first=Nigel |date=October 7, 2020 |title=A New Coalition Will Spend the Campaign Dollars Mayor Ted Wheeler Can't |language=en-US |work=Willamette Week |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/10/07/a-new-coalition-will-spend-the-campaign-dollars-mayor-ted-wheeler-cant/ |access-date=2020-10-15}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Jaquiss |first=Nigel |date=October 9, 2020 |title=A Group of NAACP Dissidents Challenges Branch President's Participation in Mayoral Independent Expenditure Campaign |language=en-US |work=Willamette Week |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/10/09/a-group-of-naacp-dissidents-challenges-branch-presidents-participation-in-mayoral-independent-expenditure-campaign/ |access-date=2020-10-15}}{{Cite news |last=Powell |first=Meerah |date=October 10, 2020 |title=Portland NAACP president says the group does not endorse Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler |work=Oregon Public Broadcasting |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2020/10/10/naacp-endorsement-portland-mayors-race/ |access-date=2020-10-15}}

Mondainé gave a speech in downtown Portland during the 2020 George Floyd protests. On July 23, 2020, The Washington Postpublished an op-ed by Mondainé, where he blamed protesters as co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement.{{Cite news |title=Opinion {{!}} Portland's protests were supposed to be about black lives. Now, they're white spectacle. |author=E.D. Mondainé |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 July 2020 |access-date=14 October 2020 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/23/portlands-protests-were-supposed-be-about-black-lives-now-theyre-white-spectacle/}} His op-ed was followed by interviews with news outlets such as National Public Radio{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Michel |date=July 25, 2020 |title=Portland NAACP President On Protests As A 'White Spectacle' |language=en |work=National Public Radio / All Things Considered |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/25/895423221/portland-naacp-president-on-protests-as-a-white-spectacle |access-date=2020-10-15}} and CNN.{{Cite news |title=CNN.com - Transcripts |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2007/26/cnr.18.html |access-date=2020-10-15}} Locally, founders of the Black Resilience Fund 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.{{Cite news |last=Graves |first=Lincoln |date=2020-07-30 |title=Black Millennial Movement seeks to offer different perspective among Black leaders |work=KATU |url=https://katu.com/news/local/black-millennial-movement-seeks-to-offer-different-perspective-among-black-leaders |access-date=2020-10-18}}

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Category:Clergy from Portland, Oregon

Category:People from St. Louis

Category:Living people

Category:1950s births

Category:American activists