Following a string of threats made to several HBCUs last week, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson is speaking out about the incident. Johnson returned to his alma mater, Tougaloo College, to talk with students to hear their opinions on what occurred. WAPT 16 spoke with students about what happened and how it impacts their campus.
“I just feel like HBCUs are always so impactful that we always get the backlash from things going on,” said student Arielle Brumfield.
“A lot of things that have been happening recently in America have nothing to do with us, but I think the fact that HBCUs are still being targeted and brought to the forefront of these issues just goes to show how impactful we are,” Brumfield added.
Students were thrilled to learn that Johnson would be returning to campus. He graduated from Tougaloo with a degree in political science and later received a juris doctorate from South Texas College of Law Houston. Johnson is the 19th president of the NAACP and has been in that position since 2017. In a quote obtained by WAPT 16, Johnson says this is not his first time seeing something like this.
“So we’ve been around—we’ve seen different iterations of what we’re witnessing now. Not the same, but very different,” Johnson said.
Johnson also encouraged students to not let these threats or other forms of intimidation force them into hiding.
“It is an unfortunate climate that we’re in. We should be protecting our young people and ensuring they’re provided a quality education and becoming critical thinkers in this emerging global economy,” he said.
At this year’s Provost Convocation, both Johnson and his wife, attorney Letitia Johnson, served as keynote speakers. Letitia Johnson, who is currently running for Mississippi Senate District 26, like her husband, knows all about being a strong leader, a sentiment the couple shared with students.
“What I want to do is inspire people to understand that we still hold the solutions to the problems that are at hand,” Letitia Johnson said.
Last week a number of HBCUs, including Virginia State University and Alabama State University, received threats following the shooting of conservative political figure Charlie Kirk. The threats caused the institutions to lock down campuses and even canceled classes.
