Derrick Johnson

On October 21, 2017, Derrick Johnson was elected President and CEO of the NAACP by the executive committee of the NAACP National Board of Directors. Johnson had previously held the positions of vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors and state president for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP.

Under Johnson's leadership, the NAACP has seen a period of significant activism and legal victories. Notably, he spearheaded the 2020 Supreme Court lawsuit, NAACP vs. Trump, which successfully protected the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He has also been instrumental in launching impactful campaigns such as the 2018 "Log Out" Facebook Campaign and the 2020 "We are Done Dying" Campaign, addressing major civil rights issues. In addition to his legal and advocacy work, Johnson has been a vocal opponent of racial injustices, including condemning the use of Blackface by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and the burning of Black churches in Tennessee and Louisiana.

Johnson was born in Detroit and pursued higher education at Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS, before earning his JD from the South Texas College of Law. His ongoing commitment to education is evident through his roles as an annual guest lecturer at Harvard Law School and an adjunct professor at Tougaloo College. In Mississippi, he led significant funding campaigns that enhanced local infrastructure, including $150 million for school improvements and $65 million for a new convention center in Jackson, MS. His dedication extends beyond local initiatives; Johnson frequently appears on major news networks like CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC, providing insights on civil rights and justice.

Additionally, Johnson is a founder of One Voice Inc., an organization aimed at improving the quality of life for African Americans through civic engagement training and initiatives, which includes the annual Black Leadership Summit and the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute, a nine-month training program for community leaders. His efforts in Mississippi earned him appointments to the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court and as Chair of the Governor’s Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal after Hurricane Katrina by the Governor of Mississippi.