Derrick Johnson is an American lawyer and humanitarian. He serves as the 19th President and CEO of the NAACP. He had previously served as president of its Mississippi state chapter, and vice chairman of its board of directors. 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.
Early life and education
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.
NAACP
At the NAACP, Johnson works closely with the national staff, including Wisdom Cole, the National Director of the NAACP Youth & College Division for the Association.
NAACP Image Awards
At the 2020 NAACP Image Awards, hosted by BET, Rihanna accepted the President's Award from Derrick Johnson. Johnson stated that “Rihanna has not only enjoyed a groundbreaking career as an artist and musician, but has also distinguished herself as a stellar public servant. From her business achievements through Fenty, to her tremendous record as an activist and philanthropist, Rihanna epitomizes the type of character, grace, and devotion to justice that we seek to highlight in our President's Award.”
Re-envisioning of the NAACP
In a statement, the NAACP announced that President Johnson was elected President to guide "the Association through a period of re-envisioning and reinvigoration." On June 30, 2020, with Mayor Muriel Bowser's support, the NAACP announced its plans to move its headquarters from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.
2020 election
In an interview with GQ Magazine, Derrick Johnson expressed that the NAACP does not endorse Presidential candidates. However, when asked about Donald Trump, Johnson opined that he has not "seen a single president as bad as Trump." On June 10, 2020, the NAACP hosted a virtual town hall with former Vice President Joe Biden.
Jimmy Fallon interview
On June 1, 2020, Johnson joined Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show. In the interview, Fallon apologized for wearing blackface in an old Saturday Night Live sketch that had resurfaced. Jimmy Fallon expressed, "the silence is the biggest crime that white guys like me and the rest of us are doing, staying silent. We need to say something, we need to keep saying something, and we need to say 'That's not OK' more than one day on Twitter." In response to the apology, Derrick Johnson noted “that was powerful, but most importantly, that's about courage ... In this time of many people searching for answers and the display of anger and hopelessness and wandering, more people need to speak about where they are with a really authentic voice. And I think you did that with the opening monologue.” Derrick Johnson later added, "we are all born flawed, but flawed is part of the journey we are on to get to perfection. If anyone can stand up and say, 'I haven't made a mistake,' run, because that person is clearly a liar."
DACA
On June 18, 2020, in Trump v. NAACP, the Supreme Court of the United States blocked the Trump administration's effort to rescind DACA in "Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, et al., Petitioners v. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, et al." The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NAACP in a 5-to-4 decision. President Trump later wrote in a tweet that this was a "shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives."
GQ Magazine reported that under Derrick Johnson's leadership, "the nation's foremost and oldest civil rights organization landed a huge win in its Supreme Court case — Trump v. NAACP — that prevents Donald Trump's administration from rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for young immigrants." Johnson added, "It's a huge victory for us."
On June 25, 2020, The Hill reported that the NAACP "successfully convinced the Supreme Court to rule against Trump. Its decision to defend DACA, Johnson said, came in part because of the organization's traditional role of being a voice for Black communities, including immigrants. “DACA, oftentimes people seem to think of the Latinx community, when in fact it was far more reaching than that,” Johnson said."