BALTIMORE, Oct. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),
America's largest and original legacy civil rights organization,
has unanimously elected Derrick
Johnson president & CEO, it was announced today.
Johnson, 49, has served as interim president and CEO since July of
this year.
A Detroit native now residing
in Jackson, Mississippi, Mr.
Johnson, who was also elected vice-chairman of the Board of
Directors in February of this year, is a longtime member,
leader and a respected veteran activist who will be tasked with
guiding the NAACP through a period of tremendous challenge and
opportunity at a key point in its 108-year history. The NAACP has
undergone transitions in leadership this year as it re-envisions
itself to take on a tumultuous and contentious social and political
climate. He will have a three-year term.
"In his time serving as our interim president and CEO, Derrick
has proven himself as the strong, decisive leader we need to guide
us through both our internal transition, as well as a crucial
moment in our nation's history. With new threats to communities of
color emerging daily and attacks on our democracy, the NAACP must
be more steadfast than ever before, and Derrick has the vision,
mobility and courage to help us meet that demand,"
said Leon Russell, Board
Chairman of the NAACP. "As both a longtime member of the NAACP,
and a veteran activist in his own right – having worked on the
ground to advocate for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, along with
championing countless other issues – Derrick also intimately
understands the strengths of the Association, our challenges and
the many obstacles facing black Americans of all generations today.
I look forward to continuing to work with him in this new
role," he added.
Mr. Johnson has an extensive history and career legacy of
dedicated civil rights activism. He formerly served as state
president of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, where
he successfully spearheaded campaigns for voting rights, worker's
rights and equitable education, and he additionally is the founder
and executive director of One Voice,
Inc., a Jackson-based non-profit
organization conceived in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
to enhance the quality of life for African Americans through civic
engagement training and initiatives.
Additionally, as a past regional organizer with Southern Echo,
Inc., another local non-profit organization, Mr. Johnson provided
legal, technical and training support to communities spanning the
south. He was appointed to the Mississippi Access to Justice
Commission by the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court,
owing to his years of committed service to the people of the
state.
Having earned a solid educational foundation, Mr. Johnson
attended historically black Tougaloo
College of Mississippi,
before going on to earn his Juris Doctorate degree from the
South Texas College of Law in
Houston. He was later awarded
fellowships from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the
George Washington University School of
Political Management and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT).
He proudly serves on the board of directors of both the
Congressional Black Caucus Institute and the Mary Reynolds Babcock
Foundation.
ABOUT THE NAACP:
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is
the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights
organization. Its members throughout the
United States and the world are the premier advocates for
civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the
NAACP's work and our six "Game Changer" issue areas by
visiting NAACP.org.
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SOURCE NAACP