Michael Teasley, a white man in his mid-30s and a political science major at Jackson State University, has just been elected president of the school’s NAACP chapter.
Derrick Johnson, NAACP state president, said the selection of a white man to lead a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People shows its real mission to represent more than one race. Johnson said he’s watched Teasley grow as a leader and described him as committed.
“This is a great opportunity for people to see that our organization is not about one race. Many people forget that white people helped organize the NAACP (in 1909),” Johnson told The Clarion-Ledger. “But I think Michael’s acceptance within the organization shows we practice what we preach — that no person should be discriminated against because of race.”
