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U.S. NEWS Friday 21 January 2022
At 113, NAACP evolves for relevance on racial justice agenda

By AARON MORRISON As- es, including in colleges
sociated Press and prisons, and 2.2 mil-
As the NAACP turns 113, lion members. Even amid
look for its voice to grow the rise in popularity of the
louder on issues like climate Black Lives Matter move-
change, the student debt ment, youth membership
crisis and the ongoing re- jumped significantly from
sponse to the coronavirus 12,000 in 2019 to more than
pandemic — while keep- 17,000 by the end of 2020,
ing voting rights and crimi- according to Wisdom Cole,
nal justice reform at the the NAACP's youth and col-
forefront of its priorities. lege division director.
The nation's oldest civil "The NAACP continues to
rights organization's birth- be the preeminent civil
day next month comes as rights organization in the
it undergoes a restructur- country," said Randal Mau-
ing to reflect a member- rice Jelks, professor of Afri-
ship and leadership that is can and African-American
trending younger, to peo- studies at the University of
ple in their mid-30s. As a re- Kansas. "It set up a bureau-
sult, it is adding endeavors cracy to be able to han-
like producing TV streaming dle the ongoing, critical
content for CBS. changes that we face."
The hope is that younger nearly nimble or progres- week's Martin Luther King tional Committee, said the When other organiza-
Americans see the NAACP sive enough for the times. Jr. Day deadline to pass NAACP and the GOP have tions have burned out, the
has modernized beyond "The best of the NAACP is Democrat-backed legisla- historically been aligned NAACP is well positioned
being grandma and when it fought for change, tion, the NAACP president on several civil rights issues, to endure, Jelks said. "And
grandpa's go-to civil rights not as payback for Black issued a grave warning to including criminal justice re- that is to the credit of its ini-
hub, good for much more people voting for a can- lawmakers of both parties. form, election integrity and tial organizers."
than voter-registration didate, but because the "Anything short of protect- financial support for histori- The NAACP operates two
drives and the star-studded change was demanded ing the right to vote is a cally Black colleges and c3 nonprofits and two c4
Image Awards. by the promises of the death sentence for de- universities. nonprofits, as well as a for-
"We had to reinvigorate constitution, the demands mocracy. The fight is far "The NAACP is supposed to profit arm. Its Hollywood
the organization," national of human rights and the from over," Johnson said be nonpartisan, so we're bureau pursues represen-
president Derrick Johnson, sound morality of our deep- after a Wednesday night always seeking areas of tation and equity issues
53, told The Associated est religious traditions," said Senate vote. alignment on a host of is- across the entertainment
Press. the Rev. William Barber II, Johnson told the AP the sues," Dennard said. industry, while its legislative
"The changes that we have who led the North Carolina organization's strategy on Founded on Feb. 12, 1909, and policy bureau in Wash-
seen are absolutely neces- NAACP from 2006 to 2017 voting rights isn't just about the National Association for ington lobbies lawmakers
sary for the organization to before resigning to be- preserving Black voters' the Advancement of Col- on NAACP priorities. A full
exist for the next 112 or 113 come co-chair of the Poor influence in national elec- ored People was formed as service law firm, staffed
years," he added. "But more People's Campaign. tions. Following the release the nation struggled to build with seven attorneys, works
importantly, we are more "Right now, the NAACP of 2020 census data, the a post-abolition multiracial with a network of lawyers
targeted in our work and should be leaning to its bet- NAACP has filed lawsuits democracy amid violence across the country, allow-
are driven by outcomes as ter history," Barber told the against state redistricting against Black people. Its ing the organization to liti-
opposed to output." AP. plans in Texas, Georgia and white founders, a group of gate between 30 and 50
The NAACP's legacy in- A revamped "brain trust" Illinois that would limit vot- activists and journalists that cases at any given time.
cludes the legal desegre- within its leadership is help- ers' choices in elections. included Henry Moskow- With tens of millions of dol-
gation of schools and work- ing to better meet the "It's more about having itz, Mary White Ovington lars in assets across its enti-
places, crusades against needs of its membership, a true representative de- and William English Wall- ties as of 2020, Johnson said
lynching and racial terror- said NAACP chief strategy mocracy," he said. ing, joined with like-minded the NAACP's finances are
ism, and pursuit of socio- officer Yumeka Rushing. Until about a decade Black activists — W. E. B. Du healthier than at any time
economic advancement During a December nation- ago, it had been easier Bois, Mary Church Terrell in its existence.
for Black Americans. It al staff retreat, roughly half to find bipartisan support and Ida B. Wells, the noted Johnson said his involve-
commands the respect of of those in attendance had for voter protection mea- journalist who investigated ment with the NAACP be-
U.S. presidents and Capi- come onboard in the prior sures. In a 2006 speech to lynching in America. gan in 1990. Until his 2017
tol Hill powerbrokers, con- 12 months. the NAACP's national con- The NAACP Legal Defense appointment as president
fers with U.N. diplomats on "There is not another orga- vention in Washington, for- and Educational Fund, and CEO, he volunteered
global issues and trains fu- nization like us, in terms of mer Republican President founded as a part of the in his home state of Mis-
ture leaders through its net- the footprint that we have George W. Bush affirmed NAACP in 1940, litigated sissippi in a number of ca-
work of thousands of state around the country," Rush- his support for Congress' the landmark Supreme pacities, including as state
and local branches. ing said. reauthorization of the land- Court case Brown v. Board conference president.
But in periods of NAACP "The restructuring hap- mark Voting Rights Act of of Education mandating His elevation to leadership
history when it found it- pened at a time when 1965. the desegregation of pub- has not been without chal-
self embroiled in finan- the country needed us "President (Lyndon) John- lic schools in 1954, as well lenges. In 2020, a former
cial hardship and internal the most, to stand up and son called the right to vote as a case permitting af- North Carolina NAACP of-
power struggles, the group speak to the issues." the lifeblood of our democ- firmative action in college ficial filed a $15 million law-
appeared ineffective or Johnson said there is no is- racy," Bush said. "That was admissions decades later. suit against the national
even irrelevant. Past critics sue more important to the true then, and it remains In 1957, the NAACP LDF be- organization after she ac-
have said the NAACP was NAACP than the fight to true today." came a separate entity. cused her boss of sexual
insular, too concerned with enhance voter protections. Paris Dennard, a spokes- Today, the NAACP has harassment and NAACP
corporate funding, and not With the Senate missing this man for the Republican Na- more than 2,200 branch- leadership of inaction.q