Page 10 The Skanner January 25, 2017
News
By Lauren Victoria Burke
NNPA Newswire Contributor
PHOTO: NAACP
T
he NAACP has named Derrick
Johnson, the vice chairman of
their board of directors, the or-
ganization’s interim president.
The unanimous decision was made
by the executive committee of the
board of directors during the Asso-
ciation’s 108th annual convention in
Baltimore. The NAACP is the largest
and oldest civil rights organization
in the U.S. The executive committee of
the board is comprised of 14 people.
On May 19, the NAACP board an-
nounced that the contract of Cornell
William Brooks, the outgoing presi-
dent, would not be renewed. Brooks’
contract ended on June 30. Brooks be-
gan his tenure as NAACP President in
May of 2014.
“I am thrilled to announce that my
friend and colleague Derrick John-
son has been appointed to interim
president and CEO. I could not think
of a better, more battle-tested or more
qualified individual to guide the
NAACP through this transition peri-
od,” said Leon Russell, the chairman
of the board of the NAACP.
“Derrick’s longtime service with
the Association will allow him to
take decisive action to deal with daily
challenges. He will also serve as the
primary spokesman for the NAACP. I
have every confidence in Derrick and
will support him in this new endeav-
or every step of the way.”
In a statement released on July 22,
Johnson said that it is truly an honor
and a privilege to be named the inter-
im president and CEO of an organiza-
tion that he’s served for decades.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to
be done and we won’t waste any time
getting to it. We are facing unprece-
dented threats to our democracy and
Derrick Johnson formerly served as vice chairman
of the NAACP National Board of Directors as
well as state president for the Mississippi State
Conference NAACP.
we will not be sidelined while our
rights are being eroded every day,”
said Johnson. “We remain steadfast
and immovable, and stand ready on
the front lines of the fight for justice.”
The NAACP is about to embark on
a nationwide listening tour to hear
advice on what their focus should be
moving forward. NAACP leadership
has acknowledged that younger civil
rights organizations are getting more
traction and attention in a world of
social media and faster communica-
tions.
The first stop on the NAACP listen-
ing tour is Detroit on August 24. The
second stop will be San Antonio, Tex-
as in September. The organization’s
leadership will “visit a total of seven
major cities across the country over
the next few months,” according to a
press release about the tour.
Johnson will serve as interim pres-
ident and CEO until a new president
is named. Johnson formerly served as
vice chairman of the NAACP Nation-
al Board of Directors as well as state
president for the Mississippi State
Conference NAACP.
Lauren Victoria Burke is the White
House Correspondent for NNPA News-
wire and a writer and political analyst.
Vote Shows GOP’s Problems in
Replacing Obama Health Law
WASHINGTON (AP) — Where the
Senate Republican effort to demolish
the Obama health care law ends up is
anyone’s guess, but early indications
are the GOP will have a hard time re-
placing that statute with any sweeping
changes.
Senators planned to vote Wednesday
on a Republican amendment repeal-
ing much of President Barack Obama’s
law and giving Congress two years to
concoct a replacement. A combination
of solid Democratic opposition and
Republicans unwilling to tear down
the law without a replacement in hand
were expected to defeat that plan.
Late Tuesday night, the Senate voted
57-43 to block a wide-ranging proposal
by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
replacing Obama’s statute with a far
more restrictive GOP substitute. Those
voting no included nine Republicans,
ranging from conservative Mike Lee
of Utah to Maine moderate Susan Col-
lins, in a roll call that raised questions
about what if any reshaping of Obama’s
law splintered Republicans can muster
votes to achieve.
The rejected amendment — the first
offered to the bill — was centered on
language by McConnell, R-Ky., erasing
Obama’s tax penalties on people not
buying insurance, cutting Medicaid
and trimming its subsidies for con-
Seniors
cont’d from pg 9
stressors.
The National Institute
on Aging recently award-
ed $39 million in new
grants to better explore
racial disparities in Alz-
heimer’s, and one focus
is on social and cultural
factors, including stress.
“There’s so much for us
to learn in terms of how
cultural factors link to
behavior, how upstream
factors like residential
segregation could shape
culture” that in turn
influences
biological
changes, said Dr. Carl
Hill, who directs NIA’s
Office of Special Popula-
tions.
AP PHOTO/JACQUELYN MARTIN
NAACP Names Derrick Johnson as
Interim President
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky.,
smiles as he talks to reporters on Capitol Hill
in Washington Tuesday after Vice President
Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie to start debating
Republican legislation to tear down much of the
Obama health care law.
sumers. It included a provision by Ted
Cruz, R-Texas, letting insurers sell cut-
rate policies with skimpy coverage plus
an additional $100 billion — sought by
Midwestern moderates including Rob
Portman, R-Ohio — to help states ease
out-of-pocket costs for people losing
Medicaid.
GOP defectors also included Sens.
Dean Heller of Nevada, who faces a
tough re-election fight next year, and
usually steady McConnell allies Bob
Corker of Tennessee, Lindsey Graham
of South Carolina and Kansas’ Jerry
Moran.
He is closely watch-
ing the Portland SHARP
study to see if through a
culture of storytelling,
Croff has found a way to
engage a hard-to-study
community.
Croff
deliberately
chose “culturally cele-
bratory” historical pho-
tos. During one recent
walk, the seniors were
thrilled to recognize
some faces in a photo of
a 1961 debutante ball.
In photos of that 1963
NAACP march, partici-
pants have recognized
pastors and switched the
conversation to the vital-
ity of church life.
Croff, an anthropol-
ogist by training, said
some participants see
the study as social activ-
ism.
“There is something
very powerful about
saying, ‘I’m still here, I’m
still part of this commu-
nity and you’re going to
see me.”
The walks can spark
some melancholy, too,
said Edna White, 70, who
participated in a pilot
SHARP study and signed
up again.
“There was just so
much hustle-bustle and
activity and bright lights,
and now there are just
old buildings. All those
places are gone,” she said.
“Except for in our mem-
ory, it’s like it never hap-
pened.”
Associated Press writer
Gillian Flaccus in Port-
land, Oregon, contributed
to this story.
