WASHINGTON — Arguing that President Donald J. Trump has emboldened white supremacists to “walk in public without hoods,” Derrick Johnson — interim president of the NAACP — said the civil rights organization he leads is as relevant today as it when it began to fight lynchings over a century ago.
“When we look at today’s reality, we’ve been here before. It’s nothing new,” Johnson said in remarks Tuesday at National Press Club.
“Looking at this current administration, we have a long way to go. But that’s why we must continue to have an NAACP,” said Johnson, an adjunct faculty member at Tougaloo College, where he teaches a course in politics each fall. “Advocacy for social justice to ensure equal protection under the law is paramount in this time,” Johnson said.
In a speech that touched on topics ranging from voter suppression to Confederate statues, an overarching theme of Johnson’s talk was the importance of voting to ensure resources are equitably distributed.
“In our democracy, if our currency is our vote, we should celebrate everyone having that one dollar called the vote that they can exercise,” Johnson said.
Just as those without money cannot make purchases at a store, those who pool their dollars — in this case votes — can “purchase the whole store,” Johnson said.
He hailed recent victories against racial gerrymandering in North Carolina and Texas, broached the idea of compulsory voting, and questioned the current voting process as being too restrictive.
