NAACP board names Derrick Johnson as new head

The NAACP announced Derrick Johnson as the organization’s president and CEO on Saturday.

Johnson has served as the organization’s interim president since July. In a press release, the NAACP said that Johnson was the right choice to lead the organization through a time of “tremendous challenge and opportunity.”

“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,” said NAACP board chairman Leon Russell.

{mosads}”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,” he added.

A separate press release stated that Johnson’s election to the NAACP’s highest positions was a response to a “near-daily national onslaught on civil rights and progressive issues.”

According to the release, Johnson is a longtime member who previously served as the director for the Mississippi state conference of the NAACP. He is also the founder of a Jackson-based nonprofit, One Voice, that seeks to “enhance the quality of life for African Americans through civic engagement training and initiatives.”

Johnson will serve a three-year term as the organization’s president and CEO. The NAACP ousted its previous president, Rev. Cornell Brooks, in May as part of a move to refocus the organization on resisting President Trump.

“In the coming months, the NAACP will embark upon a historic national listening tour to ensure that we harness the energy and voices of our grassroots members, to help us achieve transformational change, and create an internal culture designed to push the needle forward on civil rights and social justice,” a statement from the group said in May.

“Today is the first day of our next 100 years.”