DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Derrick Johnson, made a stop in Davenport on September 29, 2018.
He came to celebrate the Davenport NAACP chapter's 100th year anniversary. Johnson said the NAACP aims to ensure equal political and social rights to all kind of people, and that mission lives here in Davenport. He spent his time in the Quad Cities urging everyone to vote.
"Voting is the currency of our democracy," Johnson said. "We must vote in order to be heard."
The organization is 109 years old. Johnson says their mission may be more important today, than it was a century ago.
“We’ve seen a rise in racial hate crimes and intolerance since the 2016 elections,” Johnson said. “A big part of that is because not enough people are participating to ensure their voices are heard. Our goal as the NAACP is to change the political landscape to ensure that the elderly are cared for, our young people are prepared and those who are disadvantaged are protected.”
Johnson encourages everyone to vote, saying that voting will ensure a body of government that represents the people.
"I think in this political landscape a lot people are feeling left out and ignored," Johnson said.
He talked with local political leaders and encouraged everyone to register to vote, making their voices louder in November.
