NAACP President Derrick Johnson On Inclusion Fueling Business Growth

As President and CEO of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson leads a more than century-long effort to fight for economic inclusion by building Black political, social, and economic power. This week, I spoke with him about how to work with the private sector, including the recently released Congressional Black Caucus report, and why he says not pursuing inclusion is “not a growth strategy. It’s a shrink strategy.” Below is our conversation, edited for clarity. Rhett Buttle: Throughout its history, the NAACP has worked to give Black Americans a fair opportunity in all aspects of life. Tell me about the long arc of the NAACP’s work. President Johnson: The NAACP was established in 1909 in reaction to mob violence where African Americans and others on average were lynched once a day in this country, but we also understood that we had to have a proactive mission in our advocacy and voice to improve quality of life. A key factor in this democracy to do that is to promote and support entrepreneurship and business growth so African American communities can have the wherewithal to build the type of infrastructure, institutions, and community health necessary to fully engage in this society. Rhett Buttle: In...