BY SONJI JACOBS

  As the NAACP holds its 94th annual convention in South Florida this week, leaders of the oldest civil rights organization in America are grappling with how to remain
  relevant to an emerging population of blacks who are increasingly removed from the traditional African-American experience.

  Their decision to meet in a region where a large percentage of blacks are of Caribbean descent is symbolic of the heightened importance of immigrants to the organization. NAACP leaders say they will have to broaden their aims of social, economic and political advancement to appeal to diverse communities.

  ''Unfortunately, we have some people from the African diaspora who don't know our pivotal role,'' said Bill McCormick, president of the NAACP Fort Lauderdale branch.

  Caribbean-American activists say the group's success will be measured by its ability to make West Indians feel that they are valuable constituents.

  Jamaicans are often concerned about being viewed as outsiders by the NAACP and political clubs, said Sheila Lewis, a Jamaican American who founded the Miramar
  Democratic Club.

  ''They think we're still immigrants, no matter how long we've been here,'' Lewis said. ``We need to feel accepted within all levels of society, whether it's the NAACP or a political organization.''

  As the NAACP moves forward, members at every level are targeting immigrants to educate them about its core mission, which leaders say translates to all minorities.

  ''I think a lot of the issues of immigrants from the Caribbean are not that different from the issues of members of the NAACP or a number of other groups around the
  country,'' NAACP President Kweisi Mfume said. ``Our job is to reach out and touch them.''

  FIRST SUMMIT

  At the convention in Miami Beach today, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host its first Caribbean Summit to discuss issues of
  importance to both African Americans and West Indians. Mfume said the two groups share many concerns: trade, agricultural development and education.

  In South Florida, Caribbean Americans have become a large and vibrant part of the population. In Broward County, the West Indian population has nearly tripled in the
  past 10 years. West Indians comprise nearly half of the county's 330,000 black population, according to the 2000 Census. In Miami-Dade County, people of Caribbean
  descent are 35 percent of the 452,000 black population.

  NEED IMPROVEMENT

  Many West Indians at the grass-roots level say the NAACP could do a better job of reaching out and providing help to them.

  Eupert Peart, 53, a Fort Lauderdale painter of Jamaican descent, said many Caribbean immigrants are taken advantage of by paralegals who promise help with
  immigration issues, charge an exorbitant fee and then come up with nothing. And he said economic issues such as employment are top priorities for working-class
  Caribbean blacks.

  Many say they feel a double dose of discrimination -- because of their skin color and accent -- when interviewing for jobs and dealing with police, Peart said.

  McCormick, the Fort Lauderdale branch president, said he has made a concerted effort to raise the NAACP's profile by personally getting involved with Broward's
  Caribbean population on issues important to it, such as protests of immigration policy last year.

  In Miami-Dade, branch President Brad Brown also has devoted considerable energy to reaching Caribbean Americans, including going on Caribbean radio Saturday to
  invite them to the convention.

  Alain Jean, 29, a Haitian American who ran unsuccessfully against state Rep. Matt Meadows, D-Lauderhill, last year, concedes that American blacks and Caribbean blacks sometimes view racial issues differently, because many West Indians come from black-majority countries. Jean said he thinks the NAACP can be relevant for both groups and credits the Fort Lauderdale branch and McCormick for trying to reach out.

  ''People are starting to realize we are in this boat together,'' he said.

  In some ways, bridging the gap between different elements of the black population is nothing new for the NAACP. When the organization was founded in 1909, the two most prominent black leaders, W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, opposed each other on how to improve their peoples' lot.

  DuBois advocated social integration and academic excellence as a means of advancement; Washington said blacks should concentrate on teaching or farming and trades, preferably without forced integration. DuBois' vision ultimately was adopted by the NAACP, though many today acknowledge Washington's foresight.

  KEY ISSUES

  Today, voter registration, long a primary goal of the NAACP, continues to be a hallmark of the chapters in Miami-Dade and Broward.

  The organization also has filed lawsuits against the state over school vouchers and the anti-affirmative action plan, the One Florida Initiative, and against the Corrections Department over employment discrimination.

  It also sued the state and several counties, including Broward and Miami-Dade, over alleged disenfranchisement of black voters during the 2000 presidential election.

  SIMILAR VIEWS

  Those issues are important to both African Americans and Caribbean blacks, said Lauderdale Lakes Commissioner Hazelle Rogers, one of South Florida's first political
  officials of West Indian descent.

  ''I think we are aware the NAACP is here and it is the type of organization that makes sure there is equity and fights for minorities -- especially black folks,'' Rogers said. 'As soon as we're in trouble we say, `Where's the NAACP?' ''

  Mfume said there is a reciprocal purpose of bringing Caribbean immigrants into the organization.

  ''Whether you're talking about the Dominican Republic or Haiti or Trinidad or Puerto Rico or anywhere else where there are huge bodies of immigrants who have settled here in the U.S., the assimilation process should require that they don't just get to understand us, but we get to understand them as well,'' he said.