ALTIMORE - Appearing before a group that some Republican presidential candidates have shunned, Texas Governor George W. Bush brought a conciliatory message to the NAACP's national convention yesterday, saying that racism still exists, that his party has not done enough to help combat it, and that slavery remains a tragic blight on the nation's history.
''For my party, there's no escaping the reality that the party of Lincoln has not always carried the mantle of Lincoln,'' said Bush, who received a polite reception with occasional applause.
''While some in my party have avoided the NAACP, and some in the NAACP have avoided my party, I'm proud to be here,'' Bush told the annual gathering of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.
''For those who support me - and I see one or two here - I hope you won't change your opinion,'' Bush said. ''For those who don't, I hope you ... give me the chance to tell you what is in my heart.''
The governor's aides compared his visit to the country's largest civil rights group to a trip inside the lion's den. That's because the majority of African-American voters have long tended to support Democratic politicians. A New York Times/CBS poll in May showed Vice President Al Gore, Bush's Democratic rival, with 69 percent of the black vote and Bush with 17 percent.
That voting record and differences on key issues of concern to the minority community has led some Republican contenders to avoid a potentially hostile reception before the NAACP. Bob Dole snubbed the group when he ran for president in 1996, and Ronald Reagan never addressed the convention when running for president.
Bush's father, however, gave speeches to the NAACP in 1983 and 1988 as vice president, and in 1992 as president. The first time, as he defended the Reagan administration's record on civil rights, he was booed and hissed. The second time, while running for president, he was warmly received after saying he had always supported affirmative action and always would.
Yesterday, in a speech sprinkled with poetic flourishes not usually heard from the Texas governor, Bush said the nation must make a new commitment to equality and upward mobility for all citizens. He promised to enforce civil rights laws and denounced the discriminatory practices of redlining and racial profiling. He quoted W.E.B. DuBois, Abraham Lincoln, and Jackie Robinson in a 17-minute speech that touched on topics ranging from from education to housing to the ''transforming power of faith.''
Bush's speech is part of a recent effort he has made to reach out to nontraditional Republican voters, such as Latinos, women, and African-Americans. He hopes to draw enough minority support to make the difference in some of the battleground states that both he and Gore count on winning.
Just prior to his speech, Bush encountered half a dozen people protesting the recent execution of Gary Graham in Texas. The protesters waved signs saying ''Remember Gary Graham'' and ''Abolish the Racist Death Penalty.'' Although the NAACP protested that execution and has called for a national moratorium on capital punishment, the organization's president, Kweisi Mfume, called the protesters ''outsiders'' and ordered security to escort them from the room.
Despite the brief interruption, Bush said after his speech that he hadn't been nervous and felt he had received a respectful reception. ''It's kind of fun to go into the places where expectations are low,'' Bush told reporters.
''It's a challenge to attract African-American votes, but that's not going to stop me from trying,'' he said, noting that his support among Latino and African-American voters in Texas went up from his first gubernatorial election to his second as he became better known. For example, in 1994 he won about 15 percent of the black vote, and in 1998, he won 27 percent.
Some among the convention delegates appreciated Bush's effort to reach out. James Winter, a Florida Republican, said Bush ''did what he needed to do and that was to acknowledge the tensions between the Republican Party and black people. That's a very good sign that things can change.''
Others were unimpressed.
''It seemed like just a bunch of nice words, but I don't see them played out in his record,'' said Arnold Faulker, a Democrat from New York. ''He talks a nice game, but I'm not so sure he will follow through.''
At the Gore campaign, officials dismissed Bush's speech as meaningless rhetoric from a politician who would do nothing concrete to help African-Americans.
''Talk is one thing, action is quite another,'' said Douglas Hattaway, Gore's spokesman. ''If he wants to make real progress, he'd stand up to the Republicans in Congress who are hostile to the priorities of African-Americans.''
Hattaway said it would mean much more if Bush would support Medicare prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients, support a vote to increase the minimum wage without ''poison pill'' amendments, and back legislation to boost patient rights and restrict the power of health maintenance organizations.
Gore is to address the NAACP convention tomorrow.
Darrell M. West, a political science professor at Brown University, said Bush's efforts to reach out to African-Americans may not win him much support but they make him look more inclusive and tolerant to swing voters.
''Dole was generally surrounded by white males and Bush is making a concerted effort to include women, young people, and minorities,'' West said. ''Obviously, what he's trying to do is make himself look more moderate.''
Unlike Vice President Al Gore, who has tried mightily to take credit for the strong economy, Bush acknowledged the downside, saying the national prosperity has yet to reach everyone.
''Many still live in prosperity's shadow,'' he said. ''The same economy that is a miracle for millions is a mystery to millions as well.''
Education is one key to breaking the barrier, he said, promising to confront ''the soft bigotry of low expectations.'' The gap in educational achievement between rich and poor, and white and minority, results in discrimination, he said.
Bush said he wants to change the federal Title I education grants program to require testing of all students. He said low-performing schools should be forced to show improvement in three years, or have their federal funds sent directly to parents to use for vouchers, or to charter schools.
''As W.E.B. DuBois said a century ago, `Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States,''' Bush said.
Bush also outlined other proposals that are part what he calls his ''compassionate conservative'' agenda:
A family health credit to cover 90 percent of the cost of a basic health policy for low-income families.
An `American Dream Down Payment Fund' to match individual savings for the down payment on a home.
The use of Section 8 rental payments to make a down payment on a home, as well as five years worth of Section 8 vouchers to help cover the mortgage.
The elimination of regulations that prevent private and faith-based programs from helping those in need.
Bush did not attempt, in his speech, to address two topics that have divided him from many in the minority community and the NAACP: the death penalty and the controversy over whether the Confederate flag should fly over the South Carolina capitol. Bush has said he would defer to South Carolinian public opinion on the flag issue.
During the three weeks leading up to the Republican convention in Philadelphia, Bush said, he would concentrate on his compassionate conservative theme. In Michigan today, he plans to talk about foster care, adoption, and other initiatives to help those on the outskirts of poverty.
Material from Globe wire services was used in this report.
