Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is an entrepreneur, global business leader, educator, civil rights leader, NAACP Life Member, syndicated columnist, author, and President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Dr. Chavis will be part of the 2nd Annual Leaders and Movement Virtual Summit, on Jan. 17, 2022, from 10:30 am EST – 3 pm EST, presented by rolling out.
Chavis talked with rolling out about living, leading, and leaving a legacy.
Why must we push for this community in the struggle of this movement?
Frederick Douglass said it best, freedom is a constant struggle. It is not a temporary struggle, it is not a momentary struggle, it is a constant struggle. Freedom is a constant. That means you need constant leadership and persistent leadership. There will always be challenges, and sometimes will be difficulties. The question is, how do we deal with the challenges? How would we deal with those obstacles that are being put in our pathway?
Why is empathy important to move forward?
I learned by the time I was in the first grade what empathy meant. There’s a difference between empathy and sympathy. When you care about somebody is sympathetic. But empathy is when you walk, you try to not only care about the shoes that other people walk in, you walk in them with them. I was going to go to school with shoes on my feet, and my classmates didn’t have any shoes. So I went to school barefoot too, and to me that’s solidarity. That’s empathizing, not just with your mind, but with your soul, with your body, and with your spirit. That’s what Dr. King talked about, and he really meant that.
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