If you think Donnell White was tapped for the head position at the Detroit Branch NAACP for his charisma, composure and boyish good looks you’d be right — in part. Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the nation’s largest branch of the historic civil rights organization, says White’s appointment to the interim executive director position “ … reflects the future of the NAACP.”
While White’s credentials are impeccable and he is in a prime position to attract the demographic the Detroit Branch NAACP is targeting to move its mission forward, he says he is awed by the honor. White has worked with the NAACP’s Youth Council Advisors, ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics), organized marches and national demonstrations and represented the branch across the country at various forums.
“Mr. White reflects the future of the NAACP. His ability to reach out in particular, into the demographics of young men and women ages 21 through 40, is most significant for our branch. We need to increase the participation of these young adults who have been the recipients of the work of the NAACP but for some reason have not managed to step up to the call of the NAACP,” explained Anthony.
Rolling out spoke with White following the NAACP National convention in Los Angeles on July 29, and here’s what he told us:
His keys to Success …
My three keys to success are faith, love and service. Faith will sustain you, love will protect you and service to others will not only make you successful, but most importantly [it will make you] significant.
When he knew he was doing what he was born to do …
As I began to move about the civil rights community and hear the names of family members being called and reflected upon as influential individuals in the community, I realized that I was a continuation of a long legacy of commitment to our community. If I had a family business it would be that of civil rights and social justice advocacy. And so here I am, ready and willing to make a difference.
Career highlights and championship moments …
Being announced as the new Interim Executive Director at the special preview screening of the HBO original movie Thurgood. Center stage in front of a packed audience at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, there I stood surrounded by family, peers and members of the community — all who were burning with the flame of activism following the movie. It was the culmination of a vision made clear, the awakening to higher ideas. Who would have thought that in nine short years I would go from volunteer to director? What a blessing!
On powerful and influence …
To have power and influence is to have responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required and that requirement is to do justice, love, mercy and walk humbly with our God.
