Rep. Ayanna Pressley Uplifts Young Leaders As NAACP’s Juanita Mitchell Gala Keynote Speaker

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) set the house on fire as the keynote speaker for the NAACP Juanita Mitchell Gala, as her website reports.

The Juanita Jackson Mitchell Youth Awards, named after Juanita Jackson Mitchell, a civil rights trailblazer known for encouraging and supporting young leaders, were held during the 114th NAACP National Convention in Boston, and celebrated the achievements of the organization’s young leaders who cater to the mission and vision forward. Rep. Pressley was the perfect leader to speak to the youth with her uplifting and moving words.

During her remarks, she touched on the key role young people have played in the continuation of the civil rights movement, and expressed the importance of being bold and outspoken. “Sent to Washington with a mandate by the people, where I can sit at the policy and decision-making tables, I can take up space in the corridors of power, I can take up space as an unapologetically Black, bald Black woman,” Pressley said. “When Shirley Chisholm was asked how she wanted to be remembered, she said she did not want to be remembered as the first Black woman to serve in the House of Representatives. … She simply wanted to be remembered as a Black woman who dared to be herself.”

This year’s theme was “The Black Met Gala: All Shades of Blackness.” Pressley reminded the youth and others attending why the next generation of leaders needs to continue NAACP’s legacy. “To each of you gathered here tonight, let me say, I don’t know if we will be lauded in the pages of the history books or if we’ll be relegated to a footnote,” Pressley said. “But what matters is our lasting impact. Just like in the early chapters of the civil rights movement, there are many names recorded in history, but many more, millions more, nameless and faceless.”

Several young NAACP leaders traveled to Boston to be honored and gain the knowledge needed to lead the generations to come. Anthony and Errin Davis, co-founders of The Davis System, LLC, a Boston-based social impact firm, were inspired by Rep. Pressley’s words and their peers also in attendance. “You think about the Gen Z generation and how active they are on social media, but also how they turn that into collective power on the ground,” Jackson said, according to WCVB. “I think that we need to all be listening and following the lead of young people right now.”