NAACP CEO offers powerful message at MLK celebration

by MEAGHAN VAN DYKE

Staff Writer

President and CEO of the NAACP Derrick Johnson spoke on the future of activism in the United States during his address at UMW’s 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. 

“Community-centric leadership is respecting and understanding that each one of us have something inside that’s extraordinary,” Johnson said. “We’re all ordinary people with the capacity to do extraordinary things, and far too often we look for the charismatic leader. That’s why I don’t like giving speeches.” 

He asserts that everyone has the potential to become a leader as influential as King.

“King was a regular person,” he said. “James Farmer was a regular person who had enough courage to overcome their fear to do extraordinary things. Everybody in this room also holds that same capacity.”

Johnson reminded attendees that with being an activist, comes potential backlash. He emphasized the importance of perseverance. 

“There’ll be some times that you’re going to get challenges from your peers, from the faculty, from the administration and your parents, and you have to say, ‘is this a calculated risk that we should take because the stakes are too high not to take it?’” he said. “But that only happens if you begin to think through what impact can we have, and where should we make our mark and are we doing it for the right purposes and not doing it for celebrity shit.”

When asked about his views on the slew of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump in his first 48 hours in office, Johnson warned the audience not to let them be a distraction.

“It’s a distraction, and there’s some programs they’re going to go after that we’re concerned about, but we have to make sure we’re not playing whack-a-mole and stay focused,” he said. 

One of Johnson’s biggest concerns in the present administration lies in the ignorance of economic inequities, which he says has led to the formation of an oligarchy.

“When democracy is weak, capital is able to exploit the environment, polluting the rivers, the streams, the air,” he said. “So we don’t know if we drinking clean water, or is it polluted from the toxic dump from a factory down the street? Are we actually eating real beef? Is the genetically modified vegetables actually healthy? Or is it doing something to us?”

The event was a part of the annual celebration hosted by Germanna Community College, the UMW NAACP College Chapter and Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Shavonne Shorter in Chandler Ballroom of the Cedric Rucker University Center. 

The event, attended by UMW students, faculty, staff and members of the greater Fredericksburg area, served as an opportunity to listen to Johnson’s conversation and ask questions during a question-and-answer section at the end.

“With our current political climate, it’s really reassuring to hear someone like him guide us,” said Symone Sexton, a sophomore marketing major. “Even when he said, ‘I can’t give you the answers, you have to look for that yourself,’ it’s just nice to hear that we’re still pushing forward and keep moving no matter what.” 

For students such as sophomore psychology major Lee Rivas, Johnson’s message provided a sense of hope for the Mary Washington community. 

“I thought this was a very impactful moment, honestly, and I think it was kind of healing, in a way, to know that there is a community,” Rivas said. “There’s always going to be a community regardless of what happens in the future. I think that other students should realize that and learn more about it.”