"The struggle for American democracy is not a sprint, but a marathon," says Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. According to Johnson, the Trump administration's efforts to undermine democracy are part of a larger effort to return the country to the Gilded Age and Jim Crow-era America.
For Johnson, the key to understanding this struggle is recognizing the intersectionality of racism and classism. "Race is a tool used to maintain domination and control in society," he says. "Class is the buffer that absorbs the impact of these efforts." By selling a narrative that pits white Americans against Black and brown people, Trump's administration creates a false sense of crisis that distracts from its true goals.
The NAACP's focus on voter suppression and election interference is crucial in this fight. Johnson notes that despite making up only 13% of the population, African Americans cast only 11% of all ballots in 2024. To change this, the organization must increase its efforts to educate and mobilize Black voters.
But the NAACP is not just fighting for voting rights; it's also using the courts to defend constitutional rights and protect vulnerable communities from ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies. Johnson sees the recent raid on Fulton County's election offices as a clear example of this effort – an attempt to rig the midterms and beyond.
The administration's efforts to nationalize elections in 15 states and its targeting of Black Americans are particularly egregious, according to Johnson. "Our vote is our currency," he says. "We can't let them undercut it."
As for how to rally exhausted and broken Americans under Trump, Johnson emphasizes the importance of building confidence and agency. "It's like running a marathon – you have to keep going, even when it feels like you're not getting anywhere." The NAACP must leverage its history of success and encourage Black America to use that momentum to drive positive change.
Ultimately, Johnson believes in American democracy's ability to recover from this crisis. He notes the resilience of elders who fought for civil rights and sees parallels between their struggles and those of today's activists. "We own the future," he says.
For Johnson, the key to understanding this struggle is recognizing the intersectionality of racism and classism. "Race is a tool used to maintain domination and control in society," he says. "Class is the buffer that absorbs the impact of these efforts." By selling a narrative that pits white Americans against Black and brown people, Trump's administration creates a false sense of crisis that distracts from its true goals.
The NAACP's focus on voter suppression and election interference is crucial in this fight. Johnson notes that despite making up only 13% of the population, African Americans cast only 11% of all ballots in 2024. To change this, the organization must increase its efforts to educate and mobilize Black voters.
But the NAACP is not just fighting for voting rights; it's also using the courts to defend constitutional rights and protect vulnerable communities from ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies. Johnson sees the recent raid on Fulton County's election offices as a clear example of this effort – an attempt to rig the midterms and beyond.
The administration's efforts to nationalize elections in 15 states and its targeting of Black Americans are particularly egregious, according to Johnson. "Our vote is our currency," he says. "We can't let them undercut it."
As for how to rally exhausted and broken Americans under Trump, Johnson emphasizes the importance of building confidence and agency. "It's like running a marathon – you have to keep going, even when it feels like you're not getting anywhere." The NAACP must leverage its history of success and encourage Black America to use that momentum to drive positive change.
Ultimately, Johnson believes in American democracy's ability to recover from this crisis. He notes the resilience of elders who fought for civil rights and sees parallels between their struggles and those of today's activists. "We own the future," he says.
I'm reading this article about how Trump's admin is trying to turn America into a Gilded Age kind of deal again and I just can't help but think of all the times I've heard my grandpa talking about how things were better back in the day... like, way better 
. But then I see what Derrick Johnson from NAACP is saying about intersectionality and classism and it's like, whoa, we gotta wake up, fam! 
We can't just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves while our democracy gets watered down. We need to get out there and educate those voters, mobilize Black Americans, and use the courts to defend our rights. And can you believe they're trying to nationalize elections? That's some crazy stuff, dude 
I mean, I know we've been through tough times before, but this feels like something different... like a never-ending marathon 
that we gotta run without stopping until we reach the finish line.
I think it's true that racism & classism are super intertwined, like they're two legs of the same chair 
. It's not working! 
. We gotta educate and mobilize Black voters so they can exercise their power! 
But it's not just about voting rights; the NAACP is also fighting to protect vulnerable communities from ICE & other law enforcement agencies 
.
. We can't let them take that away from us! 
. The key is building confidence and agency, especially for exhausted and broken Americans under Trump 
. We need to use our history of success to drive positive change! 
think it's crazy that NAACP has to explain how democracy works to us. Like, come on, we should know this by now. 
Johnson's right tho, intersectionality is key here. Racism and classism are two peas in a pod, and we can't even the impact without addressing both. 
The NAACP should focus on educating Black voters instead of just fighting for voting rights. I mean, we need more people registered to vote in general, not just Black Americans. And what about all the other marginalized groups that are being targeted by ICE and federal law enforcement agencies? Shouldn't they be part of the fight too? 
And it's so true that our vote is literally our currency – if Trump is trying to undermine democracy, he needs to be stopped. 
I think the NAACP is spot on about how racism and classism are two peas in a pod, you know? 
.
This whole thing is super concerning 
. Recognizing that racism & classism are like, two sides of the same coin 
. The NAACP is doing some solid work 
The NAACP is doing a solid job highlighting how important it is for Black people to have a say in the country. I'm kinda worried about ICE and other agencies trying to mess with our rights tho 
. We gotta keep educating ourselves and staying vigilant. And honestly, Derrick's analogy of running a marathon is so true – we've gotta keep pushing forward even when it feels like progress is slow 
.
So it's like, racism is bad, but also there's classism too? Like, if you're poor, you don't get to be all equal and stuff? 
. it's true that racism & classism are like two legs holding us back 
. and Trump's administration is trying to distract us from its real goals by creating this narrative of us vs them 
. 
.
. we can learn from history & use it to fuel our movements today 
trump's strategy is just a fancy way of saying 'divide and conquer' 
we gotta recognize that racism and classism go hand in hand 
... i feel like the NAACP is doing a solid job of fighting voter suppression and using the courts to protect people's rights, but we need more people to get involved 
. btw, the naacp's voter registration efforts have seen a 30% increase since 2020! 
. They gotta keep pushin' for those constitutional rights and protectin' vulnerable communities.
. We just gotta stick together and fight for what's right.