“No matter what your background, male or female, black or white, non-traditional students, you’re not a passive observer.”
Derrick Johnson has served as NAACP president since 2017. He spoke with students from Grand Valley State University, Davenport University and Grand Rapids Community College.
“You have an obligation to do well for yourselves, your family, your careers, and do good for your neighbors, and you define your neighbors by human beings that may be in close proximity to you.”
Johnson explained that Dr. Martin Luther King was a passive observer until he could no longer afford to be.
“He was an ordinary individual who did some extraordinary things. You’re ordinary individuals, but you have the capacity to do some extraordinary things if you move from the space of passive observer.”
Johnson said no one should ever suppress their identity for anyone’s comfort, especially during the current political climate.
“We all have a set of uniqueness about us and that’s our genius and we need to put that on the table and share with one another and respect one another.”
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