JACKSON (AP) — There’s dissension within the Mississippi Democratic Party, and much of it surrounds the appointment of its executive director and executive committee vice chairman and their race.

Some party members, led by vice chairwoman Barbara Blackmon of Canton, at a news conference Friday urged Chairman Jamie Franks to remove Sam Hall as executive director and Eduardo Martinez as interim executive vice chairman, who oversees the party’s administrative committee and can hire and fire staff.

Franks said he expects the issue to be resolved at an April 4 meeting of the party’s full executive committee.

‘‘I believe that the first thing to remember is that emotions are running high because we are all passionate about the Mississippi Democratic Party and its future,’’ Franks said in a statement. ‘‘Hopefully, we will all be able to move the party forward instead of destroying it from within with these kinds of fights.’’

Hall, who managed the successful Mississippi Supreme Court campaign of Jim Kitchens last fall, was named to the position weeks ago. In his role, he oversees the daily operations of the party and its staff at the Jackson headquarters.

Keelan Sanders previously held the position full-time and Rosalind Rawls had been serving on a temporary basis since late last year. Both Sanders and Rawls are black. Hall is white.

Franks appointed Martinez to serve as interim executive vice chairman for Edward Nave of Scooba, who is still recovering from a stroke. Nave is black. Blackmon described Martinez as a white Hispanic.

The party’s bylaws require the executive vice chairman to be of the opposite race of the chairman. Blackmon said the rule was adopted in 1980 as a way ‘‘to bring the races together.’’

‘‘To add insult to injury, Chairman Franks made this offensive and illegal appointment just days after presiding over a deeply divided executive committee which purportedly resulted in the replacement of a black executive director with a white male,’’ Blackmon said.

Franks said the bylaw doesn’t explicitly state the executive vice chairman has to be black.

Franks said Martinez is of a different race from him.

‘‘Futhermore, Martinez gave me his commitment that he would not seek the position if it became open. He holds it on an interim basis only,’’ Franks said.

Blackmon wants the election process for an executive director reopened. She said Hall’s election occurred during a March 7 meeting in which debate was cut off and members with questions were ignored. Some of the other Democrats who attended the news conference were Sen. Willie Simmons, D-Greenwood, and Jackson attorney Charles Griffin.

Franks said Blackmon’s argument is counter to the party’s message of inclusion. He said in an interview earlier this week that ‘‘many Hispanics have felt the state party has left them behind and they have not been included as much as other minorities.’’

For now, it appears Hall will remain on the job. Franks said the decision was made during an administrative committee meeting Thursday in Jackson.

Last weekend, Blackmon and other members held an emergency meeting and removed Hall. The group also elected controversial local party leader Ike Brown to the executive committee. No action was taken on Brown’s election at Thursday’s meeting.

Franks has said the meeting held last weekend was illegal.

‘‘The executive committee has final authority on all decisions, and I feel confident that we will be able to work through any concerns on April 4,’’ he said.