Derrick johnson, the interim president and chief executive officer for the National Organization for the advancement of colored people. First of all, i would like you to at least silence your cell phone and other electronic devices, though we do encourage you to follow us on social media. Just because we were born in 1908 does not mean that we are still there. Sclubdc,follow us pres npclive. As you are setting your phones to vibrate, getting your twitter questions ready, i also want all of you to have these lovely whitcards in front of you. Start the time to scribbling those wonderful questions, if you have not already submitted any, so we can keep the conversation going and healthy. You can keep passing them up to the front. You dont have to wait for mr. Johnson to finish his remarks. There are members who will raise their hands and help bring them forward at any time and get them to donna, who will sort through them and get them to me. There is another way you can get questions in, those of you not in the house. You can use social media, tweet me a question. I have a smart phone here and i can follow our twitter feed. I will follow from here while mr. Johnson is a pure. After we get into the q a, i will try to multitask. An interesting thing we like to do. Now, without further at do, we will get to the head table, and then some more thank yous, and then on to todays pceeding. On my right. Start washington correspondent for the atlantaournalconstitution. Stand up and ways. Wave. Dominique. City reporter for wypr in baltimore, maryland. Editor in chief of the crisis magazine, the oldest of africanamerican publications in the United States. The naacp. Corey gordon, legislative director or congressman Bennie Thompson of mississippi. The senior culture writer for publicationmedia the undefeated. We have several members of that organization in the press club, so we are pleased to have you. Hillary, director of the naacp washington bureau, and a frequent flyer with the National Press club. We have seen you here many times. , theing over myself manang editor of usa today. One of my predecessors as president of the National Press club, team member who organized todays luncheon. Thank you, donna. We will get to you in a second, mr. Johnson. Shawna thomas, the washington thatu chief of vice news all of you have been streaming and watching every night on hbo. The Vice President of communications for the naacp. The membership secretary of the National Press club. Keith, washington correspondent for the detroit news, who has something in common with our speaker. And the reporter for the st. Louis dispatch. [applause] i would also like to acknowledge some members of the team who helped with todays luncheon. Betsy fischer, lisa matthews, headlir cochairs. The teams lawyers. And the National Press club staff, specifically Lindsay Underwood and laura coker, who manages the offices of club esident, staff, executive director william mccarran. For our television, public radio, and social your followers, be aware in audience today are members of the general public. Any applause or reaction you hear is not necessarily those fr the working press. We have a to corm amongst ourselves to be the fair arbiter when things are happening at the club. The naacp is the nations oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. The executive committee of the board of directors unanimously named esther Derrick Johnson interim president and ceo during the associations 108 annual can tension in my last month. He is expected to serve at the end of year when the board hopes to announce the new leader. He says his focus will be ensuring local activists are getting enough support, because that is where Public Policy impacts people most directly. Mr. Johnson formerly served as vice chairman of the underlay cp board of directors, an activist his career toated improving the lis and improving the lives of mississippians. We will be top to about the gulf coast in the q a. As president of the naacp Mississippi State conference, he has led critical campaign for Voting Rights and equitable education, successfully managed two bond referendum caaigns in jackson, mississippi that brought in millions of dollars for a School Building improvement, and six to 5 million toward the construction of a new convention center. With the recent events in charlottesville and the ensuing debates about whether to remove confederate memorials, the naacp is issuing caution when traveling to missouri. There are a lot of issues for Derrick Johnson to discuss. Please give a warm National Press club welcome to interim ceo and president Derrick Johnson. [applause] derrick thank you, jeff. I was walking through the d. C. Airport a few weeks ago, and he looked important, so i started following him. [laughter] i followed him all the way to the press club this morning. I really would like to thank all the members of the National Press club for allowing the naacp this opportunity. We are in trying times. It is a unique place we are in for this democracy. Yearyearacp, 109 organization, we have seen this before. In fact, the creation of the naacp was based on a similar set of circumstances. Where individuals such as w. E. B. Dubois, william a row trotter, a reporter, decided to pull people together to discuss what they called the negro question. Was heardto meeting by individuals in the state of mississippi, where i reside, and they also sent another reporter by the name of ida b wells to represent mississippi. So we are familiar with whats taking place. In that discussion, they wanted to address the problems with lynching that have been taking place across the country. They established the niagara movement. The very next year, there was a lynching in springfield, illinois. A group of whites realized, if we were going to have a true democracy, there had to be one that was met with law and order. So that group, mary wright overton, and others, invited members of the niagara movement, to join them in new york to meet, to talk about a campaign to direct federal policy which would empower the federal government to go into areas to investigate, prosecute, and convict those involved in lynching. That was the creation of the naacp. The decision made at the time was that the association would be an advocacy organization. An organization which would advocate for Public Policy to improve the quality of lives for all. Campaign. Successful as a result of that, we began to build as an association. We have built our presence across the landscape where we have over 2200 units from alaska to hawaii, to connecticut to florida, and all parts in between. We recognize, in order for us to make democracy work, we must advocate for Public Policy to protect the needs and interests not only of africanamericans, but all disenfranchised citizens. I have an older member in mississippi who put it best. The help of any society should be measured by three key measures. How well do we care for our elderly . Are we preparing our young people for a future . Are we protecting the rights of the disadvantaged . That is the measurement we should all look for. Looking at this current administration, we have a long way to go. Must continue to have the naacp. Advocacy for social justice to ensure equal protection under the law is paramount in this time. Just like those individuals who gathered in niagara, later in new york, and decided that whether you are black or white, male or female, we should all have a voice around the formation of Public Policy. The unique thing about the ,reation of the naacp in 1909 black men had a right that white women did not have, the right to vote. It was also recognized in 1909 that many africanamericans at this time picked up arms, to reinforce union troops, to ensure that these United States remained as the United States and not two separate entities. That the Confederate States of america, as Jefferson Davis was elected as president , was a movement of individuals who committed treason against this nation. It was a Movement Based on a policy landscape that they wanted to uphold, and agriculturalbased economy, supported by exploiting people for free labor. We call that slavery. That the understood fight that was taking place postcivil war would continue. And that to ensure that individuals of african descent would not be exploited for cheap labor, there needed to be policy protections for those individuals. We were in the middle of a campaign, and it was around the right of workers to collectively bargain. I was asked a question by a reporter, why would the naacp care about organized labor . If you began to peel the onion, you recognized the fight for Voting Rights, the fight for basedy education, is all on the policy landscape of who is exploded for free and cheap labor. It is about money. , if youple talk about we can education, you cheap and labor. That if you suppress the right to vote, you limit the access of those who are impacted by Public Policy from having a true voice in the formation of that same policy, therefore, they have no say and they can be exploited. Make no mistake where we are in this democracy. Those who have the right to vote have say, those who dont, dont. Often you say in a democracy, your vote is your currency. If you are bankrupt, you go to the store, you cannot purchase anything. But if you are exercising your currency, if you collect that currency with others with your interest, you can purchase the grocery store. That is who we are as the naacp. All of our policy concerns and issues germinate from that raw fact. Individuals seeking to exploit us for free labor. We are seeing after the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment, we had to exercise our right to vote. Any way which we could build quality Education Systems equal to all, and ensure that we would not be exploited for cheap labor. When we look at todays reality, we have been here before. It is nothing new. But what is most important, the founders and the individuals who built the naacp understand that all politics are local. Began a Movement Across the country. Uniteswe have 2200 public the landscape of policy often start in local communities. D. C. Are in washington, as we walk up and down the halls know,gress, he, like i many of the policy considerations started in some local community in this nation. Often times, i asked the question, have you ever heard of columbiana, alabama . Columbiana, alabama is where the case we now call shelby versus holder started from. That was the case that gutted the Voting Rights act. That was the case that took out section five of the Voting Rights act. It is in local communities like columbiana, alabama where the naacp exists. It is a community that nobody would think of. In louisiana, a registered taking redistricting case came up to become a Supreme Court case. It is areas where many of us or our parents come from. Is asesult, the naacp relevant today as it has always been. In these communities, where our members serve as the eyes and ears, to ring the bell when nobody can hear the noise, to call out the questions of unfairness. Often times we give the example of missed dunlap. Ms. Dunlap lives in a Small Community in mississippi. I am sure you have heard of shibuya, mississippi. It is in clark county. Ms. Dunlap may not have had a lot of exposure to education, but ms. Dunlap, as president of the clap clark county branch, is driven by one rentable. I dont think it is right, i dont think it is fair. The value question of fairness. When s goes ansits in on a School Board Meeting and she no longer has children in school, she has great grandchildren in school now. When she is sitting there listening to the school board , evenbout School Policy if she does not understand all of the conversations, is the question of fairness. How can we turn our back on the ms. Dunlaps of the world . Those who can identify when School Districts in Rural America are seeking to diverge public funds for a use that would not benefit all children. ,f they perfect that policy hilary shelton, as he walks down the halls of congress, he will see that policy bubble up as a National Policy scheme. That is why we must have the naacp. Voting is paramount. Voting is paramount. With all the schemes to suppress cast aer our ability to ballot, not only africanamericans, but young people as well. The closing of precincts, the redrawing of political boundary lines that will Favor One Party over another, the ability to , voter admittance test id, for whether you can vote. The very nature of Voter Registration is a vote suppression method. Let that germinate. Need to filleone out an application to exercise a right . Think about it. In this day and ag as more wetes require voter id, and are citizens, why should we fill out application to determine whether or not we should vote . Encourages andy allows all of its citizens to vote. Is it so much to ask that we follow the example of australia and 200 other nations when it comes to compulsory voting . Is it outrageous to say that restricted polling places should no longer be in place . Why should an individual get off work at 5 00 and drive home and possibly past three or four presents in order to cast a ballot . Mosthould we allow the sacred part of a democracy, only to take place in a 12hour window . On a tuesday, when most people to work. At the naacp, those are the questions weust confront wh some critical thinking. Not that we are running behind the headlineof the day, because there will always be headlines of the day. But fundamental to what we pursue is making democracy work. To ensure equal protection under the law is a 42 all citizens. Anthat the uses of devices to discriminate should no longer exist. Week, our state conference in texas won two w a important cases, one dealing with redistrict ring, the other dealing with voter id. Three months ago, our stake conference in North Carolina also won a major redistricting case. We commend the policymakers in illinois for making Voter Registration automatic. , if our currency vote, we should celebrate everyone having at least that one dollar call to vote, so they can exercise. It is the role of the naacp to protect democracy and to ensure equal protection of the law is afforded to everyone. When we look at the headlines and we are compared against the movement for black lives and say, are you relevant because these young people are in the streets and protesting . I say yes, we celebrate and support them. Why . We have always had young people in the streets protesting. No matter what vehicle or platform they use, we must encourage young people to have a voice. Because it is those young people who will be the future leaders. It is through agitation that we find ourselves perfecting these thing called democracy. As we move forward, it is our how do weuly focus on impact of formation of Public Policy, looking at this current landscape. The key milestones are coming up. The Midterm Election of 2018 is. Ritically important i grew up in a time where every election, they say this is the most important election of your life. Im sure you have never heard that before, right . I can agree, time, this is one of the most important elections coming up. There are cuts in the budget dealing with the census from this administration. The removal of a pilot from rural communities. We are facing a census where many towns will be undercounted during a time when technology should allow us to have a more accurate count. The president ial election, and then this thing called redistricting. Perhaps the most significant touch point in any democracy structure like ours. The drawing of the political boundary lines by which individuals are elected. In many ways, it is more important than the actual election day. If you understand how to draw the lines, you can determine the winner for the next 10 years. Things that weey as an association will be focusing on over the next five years. In between there will be many charlottesvilles. Unfortunately, this administration has created an atmosphere to allow domestic terrorist to exist. To allow those who understand and have a sense of history, that the monuments that have been erected in the 1930s and 1940s and 1950s, for the most part, are monuments to individuals who took up arms against this nation. Treason. Over the course of exploiting people for free labor. We should not celebrate that. It should not exist. Get distractedot over the question of its existence, when the real issue confronting us is who controls the Public Policy, and whether or not we have a voice in the process. Every so often in jackson, mississippi. We talk about Public Policy. I had a student one time ask, what is the real deal here for Public Policy . At the end of the day, it is about who gets taxed, who is not taxed, and what those dollars are spent on. That is our fight. Do we create a tax scheme to support Public Policy to ensure our elderly, our cared for in the latter years . Scheme maintain a tax and make sure it is equitable, so we have quality education for all of our children . Are our taxes being used to create the systems that will support individuals who suffer from some type of Mental Illness or veterans coming home, individuals who are disadvantaged, to make sure they are protected . That is the health of any society, the elderly, the young, and disadvantaged. The value of any Public Policy is based on the taxes. How the tax policies are written. We must protect all of our citizens. Domestic terrorists should not exist. We wish we had a commanderinchief that would not sow the seeds of divisive behavior which would allow domestic terrorists to bubble up. Will respond to that, but the bear question for us will always be the question of ensuring that democracy works for all. Thank you. [applause] let me stand right here. While i get this going, i want , nowart with current news Tropical Storm harvey. ,ou have noted several times even though you were born in inroit, you reside mississippi, you have done a lot of work on the gulf coast. Doing in termscp of responding to the crisis in the gulf coast, Tropical Storm harvey . Derrick thank you. Having been someone who has been active during hurricane katrina, it is critically important for the association to ensure that the recovery is equitable. Starting as early as friday, our state conference president , our houston executive director, and our staff in houston, we started convening Conference Calls to talk about what the evacuation plan looks like, what were the support mechanisms. Each evening, we talked about that, so we could respond timely to communities who may not show up on the radar screen. This morning i had a meeting with fema. Our goal is to ensure resources directed from the federal government do not skip neighborhoods. If we dont skip neighborhoods, we would ensure a fair recovery. That is our responsibility, to make sure equity is at the table when the discussion of recovery is being discussed. A quick followup. Often times, and you cited katrina. Time for you to evacuate. Not everyone can pick up and leave. More than 90 of folks left before the storm, and there were still 15 , and they were stuck. Some of them could not move because there was a financial issue, affordability. Have you been working closely with policy officials to make sure the funding is there to get people from point a to point b . Derrick our state canceled president in texas gary bledsoe is on the phone call to her three times a day along with hillary shelton, representative Sheila Jackson lee, al green on that question, to make sure resources are directed to those areas and that those resources are directed to communities most in need. People cannot evacuate because of resources. Going through katrina, the small church on a peninsula in east biloxi. Died,nd haynes, who since they had gone through so many hurricanes, he would open the church up, and it had a second floor. The Senior Citizens in that community knew to go to main Street Missionary Baptist Church. He used to correct me all the time. Lets be clear. [laughter] they would go to the church, and the water began to come in, and they would go upstairs and pray the storm away as they would say. In that community, main Street Missionary Baptist Church was their refuge. We had individuals who worked every day and retired. Because they were lowwage earners, they did not have the means to evacuate. Some were so stubborn, they would not evacuate anyway, but they had a place to go. Main Street Missionary Baptist Church is also the hub for our Biloxi Branch of the naacp. We exist where the need exists and were our people exist. Our role is to ensure individuals who go to a church or seek us out, that we do all we can to get the resources to support their only of life. There are a bunch of questions that have been sent in. Derrick only the easy ones, i dont want the hard ones. [laughter] i will just ask you the fair ones, which are all of them. [laughter] you talked about a number of issues, one being about the confederate memorials. A number of questions that hit on that issue. Do you think they should be taken down altogether, moved to a museum . You have specific ones in atlanta, whether or not they will erect and mlk memorial on top of stone mountain. You are talking about any number of configurations about this. What is the approach the naacp has, isnt locality by locality, across the board, what is your view on that . Recognizeymbols that treason should not represent a governmental entity, period. If there are those that want to recognize and celebrate that, that is ok to relocate in a museum or cemetery. I prefer cemetery. Exists, even if it then we believe people have the right to have monuments, but it should not be financed by public dollars on public display. It should not. [applause] thirdly, and this is closer to me. There should be no state that still has a confederate symbol in the flag, like mississippi. You know, the symbol that we identify as the Confederate Flag was not even the Confederate Flag, it was the battle flag of generallys army of northern virginia. The he died, he stated remnants of the confederacy should be buried. He did not want any of those symbols when he died. The Confederate Flag as we now identify it as was resurrected in the 1930s during the second whitesf terror, when particularly in the south, but across the country, after watching the birth of the nation in 1914, began to use it as a symbol of terrorism. We quickly identified the burning cross in someones yard as a sign of terrorism. But next to the cross was always that confederate symbol. It should not be tolerated. If there are any entities that have the display of 50 flies, remove the mississippi flag if you want to move forward as a nation. That gets to the question. I can put that one down. [laughter] predecessorsour here for many years, you hear this question a lot. How do you respond to the criticism that the naacp has outlived its usefulness . Derrick just watch the news. Up. Know, that comes or not the naacp has outlived its usefulness. It comes up for all of its predecessors, i have been here long enough to see it. Derrick when i took the position at the naacp, my counterpart said the same thing. If you move across this landscape, and in many theunities, the naacp is only vehicle that individuals have to raise their voice and ensure democracy exists in their community. Followtoo quick to trends, bells, whistles. Naacp has never been a large city operation. It is in communities where nobody knows of. It is the vehicle for individuals who live in those communities who are so oppressed or trying to prevent schemes of oppression. It is a representative organization, small democracy, where individuals can come together and make that unit work. For someone to question whether or not a collection of individuals living in a community should not come and utilize the vehicle of the naacp , i often ask, do you understand what we are and what we do, or are you relevant, is the question you are asking relevant . Speaking of relative questions, you talked about Public Policy, and the white house. You brought that up a number of times. The Congressional Black Caucus has gone back and forth about how and under what circumstances it will meet with president. Take on hownaacps it will engage with the trump administration, or not, and if so why, if not, why not . Derrick with any president , our position with meeting is based on substance, not ceremony. , members of the congressional blk caucus, as the deliberate the question of meeting, their question is are we meeting with the president based on substce and not ceremony . Utilize ant should institution like the naacp as a photo op. We are talking about substantive outcomes, then we welcome the meeting. If we are talking about a photo op, that is a meeting we will not have. [applause] what is an example of a substantive outcome . You want 1, 5, or 10 . Be thetive outcome would forming of the commission. Not seeking to remove the consent orders that musicality is where Police Officers have been bad actors. Not reversing the previous administrations rules that they would not give military equipment to local Law Enforcement. I could keep going. About,just talked yesterdays decision, you released a statement on it. Prepared to docp now that the executive order has been issued to give military style d equip them back to police departments, which happened in the wake of ferguson . Derrick in many ways, we are like the press. We can sound alarms, we can make a noise, and we can educate the community, but we have three branches of government. We have three branches of government. Really change the dynamic is in 2018. To ensure that we increase turnout, so that people who come from communities situated like the ones we represent can have a true voice on the makeup of congress. So they can be better positioned to hold the president accountable. Executive orders are just that, executive orders. Unfortunately, elections have consequences. We have to deal with some of these executive orders until 2020. Elections have consequences. You have talked about voting. You talk about compulsory voting, which is not happening in this country any time soon. Derrick maybe not how do you see in encouraging people to get ting levels up to you in more unprecedented levels that there were in 2008, other election cycles, where they may make a difference 2020, other election cycles . Derrick that is the challenge we face as an association, why we are going through this interim period. As a national office, how can we be more responsive and supportive of our local units, and their ability to increase the level of participation. We entered the space understanding that if we continued to do what we have always done, we will get what we have always got. Challenge staff i did not recognize our chief operating officer here, director of Economic Development our challenge is how do we work to ensure that we as National Staff are more rponsive to our local units, so they can be stronger in getting t vote out when we need to. In many communities, africanamericans vote at a higher percentage are in president ial elections. The problem we are facing, we are not voting in state and local elections, when we deve to turn out. The challenge for the naacp over , is tot several years elevate the conversation, so people understand it is not just the president ial election cycle. It is every election cycle. Voting rights. What is your reaction to the Supreme Court associate justices stay on the latest Voting Rights decision in texas . Derrick repeat the question. Your reaction to this day that Supreme Court leader put on the Voting Rights act in texas . Folks. Explain that to derrick i will let hillary explained because he is brilliant. I made the mistake of playing basketball with my 13yearold. I am limping a bit. Did you win . Clearly not. [laughter] our concern over the shelby decision is clear. Anytime you have something that dismantles the protections put in place for the Voting Rights act, which are needed, and one of the most important sections is 4b. We are really talking about a rope with dope approach to weakening motor protections. It is no surprise the same organization that works so hard to put the Voting Rights act of 1965 in place in the first place is strongly opposed to anything that would weaken it. Of the shelbyme decision, the naacp have been working on a number of provisions, even with the Voting Rights act purely in place, to strengthen the opportunity for every american to cast an unfettered vote and make sure that vote is counted. I also want to add to that, the questions were asked about what we want to see happen. In any conversation with the in ent, we believe apologizing to the environmentalists in the room. We have a copy of everything that we would love the present to move forward on, to make sure he lives up to his constitutional promises of equal protection and opportunity under the law. I have is for you when the meeting is over, by the way. Thank you. Anything else you want to add . Derrick isnt he smooth . [laughter] no more basketball. This is interesting. Big title fight this weekend wh Conor Mcgregor and floyd mayweather. Floyd mayweather as a heated reputation for Domestic Abuse charges. What role, if any, does the naacp have in combatingomestic abuse, given that africanamerican women suffered as unfortunately . If no such initiative exists, why not . Derrick we are a policyfocused organization. We care about all of the citizens in our community. If we play any role in that, it is to ensure that women, along with children, along with any aggrieved party, has equal protection under the law, that the law is sufficient to provide protection. What we have seen over the years is an imbalance, in terms of how the law is applied to protect women who have been abused. Some of that falls into our scope, some of it does not fall into our scope. We recognize we cannot be everything to everybody, but we support those who advocate to ensure that women, along with children, along with anyone being abused, that the law is it isd equally, and that a good law to provide necessary protections. Derrick is absolutely right but also let me say for the record. The naacp was one of the organizations that introduce the violence against womens act. Now formed with president joe biden. We work with every improvement along those lines, making it a Permanent Agency within the department of justice. , the realso made sure value of a nation is not just what it says, but what it is willing to put its resources toward. We have always worked hard to make sure the violence against Women Department is in the department of justice and is fully funded. Extremely important to us and our communities. We will stick with sports. The naacp has joined the fraternity of Colin Kaepernick in running the nfl commissioner, demandg his reinstatement, wanting some spun nation for why he has not been signed. Had gotten a response from commissioner goodell . Derrick we have not. What are the next ups were pressing for an answer . Derrick the reason we decided to enter the conversation was based on the principle of those who have a platform, entertainers and athletes have always been a key vehicle for us to raise issues. The issue that Colin Kaepernick was raising our legitimate issues. We would hate to see the nfl or any industry suppress the voice of individuals who are willing to use that platform to advocate for social justice. We are mourning the death of dick gregory, on the vanguard of his platformo advance social justice. I oftentimes worked with danny glover, who uses his platform to advance social justice. For the naacp or any group to stand idly by we dont know the facts, so that is why we asked for a meeting but the appearance seem to be that the nfl is seeking to suppress his voice. Then we have an obligation to support those willing to speak up on issues of social justice. Our next up, we have ked for a meeting with the commissioner. If we are not granted a meeting, we will be working with the nfl players association, to make sure that we work with and through them. If they can do it to one player, they can do it to all players. [applause] just to mind those in the viewing audience and public radio, those joining late, if you do hear applause in the room, it is not from the working press, they are members of the public invited to our luncheon. Derrick the press does not like what im saying . [laughter] i get it. Enough to invite you. Charlottesville. We will combine this into one question. You have issued a travel advisory to missouri. We had what happened in charlottesville. Will you issue a similar travel advisory to charlottesville, like you have done to missouri . And i will add to that. Why do youhink white nationalists wheel so emboldened to come out of the shadows with tiki torches and everything else. Is there an upside that it is now in our faces . Derrick we can say emphatically , the govern and officials of virginia, they responded timely and propriately to the event. They showed the level of concern and empathy thaany policymakers should have, when you have domestic terrorists enter ino your territory. Many of the individuals who were in charlottesville were not from virginia. They traveled from far and wide, from david duke all the way to the person who drove from ohio to murder that individual in the crowd. We see these individuals as domestic terrorists. We should not mince our words. They go to insight harm and contact. For us to say that they are a part of neonazi only, or they are kkk only, or whats a premises only is not to fully appreciate what they are seeking to do and who they are. I am not so young that i dont member timothy mcveigh. Is cut from the same cloth as these individuals here. Prior to 9 11, that was the biggest incident of terrorism on our soil committed by a citizen of this country. We need to address domestic terrorists for who they are and not try to excuse away what they do. Unfortunately, this administration has created a climate where he tries to have false equals, where none exist. Where he gives room for individuals situated as domestic terrorists to feel comfortable walking in public without their hoods anymore. The candle ceremony is a nazi ceremony. The take you was to represent that ceremony. This is not just an attack on africanamericans but americans. We must stand up and be clear with our voice. We support strength in the hate crime act. Data matters, policy should be driven by data, not politics. When we were able to get the hate crime act passe in 29, re iorntomnt leut ruimef caurdiio proving ta if we are able to get a datadriven look at hate crimes, we can identify almost everybody in the crowd because local Law Enforcement knows who they are. We need to identify them for who they are, domestic terrorists. On the domestic terrorist question, this goes to public education, and whether or not the naacp is working with school systems, states and school systems, to this questioner, not my words glorify domestic terrorists and those that commit treason, glorify the curriculum. Derrick one of the things we will be seeking to do in the near future is calling a meeting with textbook publishers to talk about the content in textbooks. What has happened for far too long, we seek to water down what took place around the vil war. It was an act of treason. Make no bones about it. To whitewash what took place is only to suppress the tensions that is always bubbling below the surface in this country. The question of the 21st century is a race question, that is what w. E. B. Dubois talked about. He wrote that in the 1920s. We are still dealing with the question of race. We are dealing with the question of race because we will not let go of our past that is based on revisionist history. The revisionist history will not allow us to truly look at a future because we will always be stuck in the past. And the tools of race allow people to use others under a false there did to control their vote. In the south, if you take a Public Policy issue, and you wrap it around race, you get people to vote against their interest. If you take a Public Policy issue and you wrap it around morality or religion, you get people to vote against their interests. We need to weaken the tool of race and racism, so we can have Public Policy that improves the quality of life for everybody, and that individuals are not being used and misinformed or miss educated. Im talking about white individuals now. Workingclass whites. To think they are some part of false narrative of white fact, theywhen in are being exploited for cheap labor like many other people. Another Public Policy question. Is for publicacp policy, helps africanamericans and others in marginalized communities. And other mainline civil Rights Groups have been criticized in the africanamerican press and elsewhere for taking large funds from telom giants like at t and comcast, and then backing policies like mergers and attempting to kill the trilogy favored by those corporations. How dealers on to that . They are responding to a piece from the intercept earlier this year. Derrick i wish the writer of that question was at meetings with me over the past two weeks with Telecom Giants who are notly frustrated, upset at ease, that is a better word because of an oped that i just authored in the health the hill. Free, clear that unfettered access to the internet should not be based on corporate interest. The internet now is a Free Public Library and should continue to be public and free. The Telecom Industries are not happy about a clear position, because we agree with you on that point. Im glad you agree with us. The regulatory scheme to enforce that must be in place. You may not like the vehicle that currently exist, but we are agnostic to the vehicle. Ensure a free, unfettered access to the internet. Said, we are in the corporate pockets, we are not timely on e issues. If you scratch the surface, we do what we can to ensure a democracy that works. If you have terruptions in the acquisition of knowledge, democracy cannot work. Andrew young, the former mayor of atlanta, among other of compliments, pointed out over the weekend there was 65 Approval Rating for the civil rights legislation passed in 1960. He says the Approval Rating for black lives matter and other groups is lower, in the teens. Groups like White Supremacists and other groups feel more comfortable margin to make their voice known. Much of the average american due to deflect the hate speech, not just against africanamericans, but immigrants, jews, other religious minorities, how can we america back again . Derrick this is where Public Policy matters. When Woodrow Wilson air the birth of the nation in the white house, it sends a signal to paris that they should increase their ranks. We have seen an explosion in the membership of the Christian Knights of the ku klux klan and other organizations. Thatsignal created a void we have to fight against from that period, and before that, all the way up through the 1970s. With the passage of the Voting Rights act, civil rights act, many others. But it was Public Policy that made it uncomfortable for racial hate groups to exist, and we have sn their membership numbers dwindle. We have seen individuals benefit off of policies we were pushing, i. E. Affirmative action. More white women benefit from affirmative action than africanamericans. I cannot point to a single piece of legislation that we have advocated for that only affected africanamericans. Makes to margarets ework. It makes the quality of life for everyone better. It is not us today, it is you tomorrow. You, meaning jewish community. You, meaning italians. You, meaning those with red hair, an earring in the left year. People seek to divide. If they are successful in dividing, they can divert from the real question. The real question in this country right now is economic security. Wh people feel insecure, they look for what tribe they will be a part of. Isetimes that tribe misinformed about whatistory really tells them, and over this question of white supremacy. It is our role to unveil truth. It is our role to push for Public Policy that provides protections. It is also our role to build coalitions across racial lines so we can make sure that when they come for us today, you understand that if you allow it to happen, they are coming you tomorrow. [applause] before we get to our last question, a couple of housekeeping rules, notes. For future events, august 31, journalist Cheryl Atkinson will be here with her book the smear. September 7, the press club will host four former assistant attorney generals, talking about the legacy of civil rights. Annual fourth of state award will be bestowed upon espns Tony Kornheiser and mike will bond. The award is given by the National Press club to a member of the profession who has before i give the last question , im going to give you our traditional National Press club mug