Derrick Johnson (activist)
Derrick Johnson is an American lawyer and humanitarian. He serves as the 19th President and CEO of the NAACP.[1] He had previously served as president of its Mississippi state chapter,[2] and vice chairman of its board of directors.[1] Johnson is the founder of the Mississippi nonprofit group One Voice Inc., which aims to improve quality of life for African Americans through public engagement.[2]
Derrick Johnson
Early life and education[edit]
Johnson was born in Detroit. He attended Tougaloo College, then studied law at the South Texas College of Law, where he was awarded his Juris Doctor.[2]
Other activities and commentary[edit]
Hurricane Katrina[edit]
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi appointed Derrick Johnson to the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. The Governor of Mississippi also appointed Johnson as the Chair of the Governor's Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal after his humanitarian work following Hurricane Katrina.[2]
The Guardian[edit]
On June 3, 2020, The Guardian published an op-ed by Johnson titled "In America, Black deaths are not a flaw in the system. They are the system."[39] In the op-ed, Johnson wrote, "we are 3.5 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than white people. Although Black people are only 13% of the population, we constitute about twice that percentage of US coronavirus cases. This is not because the coronavirus seeks us by color; it is because we suffer from an underlying condition. Say its name. The condition is racism. It is manifest in a lack of opportunity; in economic inequality; in the absence of healthcare; in a biased criminal justice system and mass incarceration; in schools that scream for care; in a denial of truth; and more." This op-ed was quoted the following day by Wolf Blitzer on CNN, in a special coverage of George Floyd's memorial.[40]
"Real Facebook Oversight Board"[edit]
On September 25, 2020, Johnson was named as one of the 25 members of the "Real Facebook Oversight Board", an independent monitoring group over Facebook.[41]
COVID-19[edit]
In an opinion piece published by CNN, Derrick Johnson noted difficulties for African Americans to find testing and treatment due to "the shortage of hospitals and health care providers serving our communities" and racial bias. He also wrote about racial polarization of pandemic response, in particular by the chief executive, with resulting "high levels of scarcity, with extreme unemployment numbers".[42]