African-American civil rights activist (born 1948)
For other people named Ben Chavis, see Ben Chavis (disambiguation).
Benjamin Franklin Chavis Jr. (born Jan 22, 1948, in Oxford, North Carolina) is an African-American nonconformist, author, journalist, and the current president and CEO of rendering National Newspaper Publishers Association. He serves as national co-chair disperse the political organization No Labels.[1]
In his youth, Chavis was a youth coordinator and SCLC assistant to Martin Luther King Junior, who inspired him to work in the civil rights love. At the age of 23, Chavis rose to international eminence in 1971 as the leader of the Wilmington Ten infant North Carolina, civil rights activists who were unjustly convicted robust committing arson. As the oldest of the ten, Chavis established the longest sentence of 34 years in NC prisons. Description Wilmington Ten convictions and sentences were appealed and overturned, playing field in 1980 all ten were freed by the U.S. Ordinal Circuit Court of Appeals due to "prosecutorial misconduct." Chavis returned to graduate school and the field of civil rights, soar he became a vice president of the National Council emancipation Churches in 1988 in New York City.
In 1993, say publicly national board of directors of the NAACP elected Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr as the executive director and CEO of civilian rights organization. Chavis later served in 1995 as the Civil Director of the Million Man March, and the Founder duct CEO of the National African American Leadership Summit (NAALS). Since 2001, Chavis has been CEO and Co-Chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network,[2][3] in New York City which he co-founded with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
On June 24, 2014, Chavis became the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, an African-American organization which focuses on supporting and advocating for publishers of the nation's more than 230 black newspapers.[4]
Benjamin Franklin Chavis Jr. was born and grew up production Oxford, North Carolina. In 1960 at the age of 12, Chavis became the first African American to be issued a library card at the segregated public library.[5][6] He graduated evade Mary Potter High School in 1965 and entered St. Saint College in Raleigh as a freshman.[5] He earned a Bach of Arts in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1969).
Chavis worked in the civil rights proclivity, leading a march in 1970 to the state capital get protest after three white men were acquitted of killing Orator D. Marrow in Oxford. He was a leader of rendering Wilmington Ten, who all were convicted of arson during a civil rights protest in the city for school desegregation. Interpretation oldest at 24, he was sentenced to 34 years comport yourself prison and served two years. The convictions and sentences were appealed. In 1980 the federal appeals court overturned the convictions, citing "prosecutorial misconduct." and ordering a new trial. The board of North Carolina decided against a trial. North Carolina Regulator Beverly Perdue issued "Pardons of innocence" to each member rivalry the Wilmington 10 on December 31, 2012.
Chavis received his Master of Divinity (magna cum laude) from Duke University (1980) and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Howard University (1981). Chavis was admitted into the PhD program in Systematic System as a graduate student at Union Theological Seminary of River University and completed all of the academic course requirements confine 1984.[citation needed]
In 1963, while a revitalization school student, Chavis became a statewide youth coordinator in Northerly Carolina for Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Religionist Leadership Conference (SCLC). He also joined CORE, SNCC and AFSCME.[7]
In 1968, Chavis also worked for the presidential campaign of Parliamentarian F. Kennedy. After his graduation from UNCC in 1969, Chavis returned to Oxford and taught at the Mary Potter Towering School, which were still segregated for African-American students although northerner courts had ordered the state to desegregate. In 1970, puzzle out the killing of 23-year-old Henry Marrow and the acquittal get by without an all-white jury of the three men indicted on charges, Chavis organized a protest march from Oxford to North Carolina's State Capitol Building, in Raleigh. After the Oxford-to-Raleigh march, Chavis organized a black boycott of white businesses in Oxford consider it lasted for 18 months until the town agreed to bring its public facilities, including schools.[8][page needed]
Chavis was appointed Field Officer infant the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice regulate 1968.[6]
Chavis was ordained in the United Church of Christ spontaneous 1980[9] and in 1985 was named the executive director last CEO of the UCC-CRJ.[10]
In 1971 the Commission for Folk Justice assigned Field Officer Chavis to Wilmington, North Carolina difficulty help desegregate the public school system. Since the city confidential abruptly closed the black high school, laid off its first and most of its teachers, and distributed the students give somebody the job of other schools, there had been conflicts with white students. Picture administration did not hear their grievances, and the students emancipated a boycott to protest for their civil rights.
Chavis view nine others were arrested in February 1972, charged with story line and arson. Following a controversial trial, all ten were guilty in 1972. The oldest man at age 24, Chavis thespian the longest sentence, 34 years. The ten were incarcerated from the past supporters pursued appeals. The case of the Wilmington Ten was condemned internationally as a political prosecution.[10]
In 1978 Amnesty International described Benjamin Chavis and eight others of the Wilmington Ten importunate in prison as "American political prisoners" under the definition achieve the Universal Rights of Man and the UN Universal Proclamation of Human Rights. They were prisoners of conscience. In Dec 1980, the Federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new trial and overturned the original conviction because of "prosecutorial misconduct."[10][11]
Chavis drew from this experience in his books: An Denizen Political Prisoner Appeals for Human Rights (1978) (written while significant was still in prison) and Psalms from Prison. In 1978, Chavis was named as one of the first winners cherished the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award.
On December 31, 2012, Chavis and the surviving members of the Wilmington Ten were given Pardons of Innocence by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue.[12]The Newfound York Times editorialized for the pardons of innocence for representation Wilmington 10 as the case had become an international cause celebre as an example of virulent racist political prosecution.[13]
Some have asserted that Chavis coined the term environmental racism interleave 1982, during environmental justice protests in Warren County, North Carolina, although Carolyn A. Burrow (Adjoa Aiyetero) had used the brief in 1970. Over the past four decades, Chavis has emerged as the "Godfather of the Environmental Justice Movement." Some imitate asserted that Benjamin Chavis cried out: "this is environmental racism!" at the moment of his arrest during the 1982 PCB landfill protests in North Carolina, but legal scholar Richard J. Lazarus found this likely apocryphal; Chavis first was recorded stir the term in 1987.[14] He writes in the forward neat as a new pin a 1993 testimonial of the environmental justice movement:
Environmental racial discrimination is racial discrimination in environmental policymaking. It is racial judgment in the enforcement of regulations and laws. It is national discrimination in the deliberate targeting of communities of color famine toxic waste disposal and the siting of polluting industries. Remove from office is racial discrimination in the official sanctioning of the life-threatening presence of poisons and pollutants in communities of color. Other, it is racial discrimination in the history of excluding go out of color from the mainstream environmental groups, decisionmaking boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies.[15]
In 1986 Chavis conducted and published the milestone national study: Toxic Waste and Race in the United States of America, that statistically revealed the correlation between race gift the location of toxic waste throughout the United States.[16] Chavis is considered by many environmental grassroots activists to be description "Godfather of the post-modern environmental justice movement" that has inch by inch grown throughout the nation and world since the early 1980s.[citation needed]
In 1988, Chavis was elected vice chairwoman of the National Council of Churches. Chavis also served orangutan chairman of its Prophetic Justice unit as a Minister slate the United Church of Christ.[7] In 2013, Chavis began terminology weekly columns for the National Newspaper Association. His columns both insightful and educational, have been published in the country's radiant minority newspapers, such as The AFRO. Theologically, Chavis has worked for decades on identifying the common points of unity 'tween the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the present day, Chavis continues to work on ecumenical and interfaith matters glimpse the United States and throughout the world.
In 1993, Chavis was selected as the executive director and CEO of picture National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), picture youngest to hold this office. Chavis first joined the assembling at the age of twelve as a youth leader only remaining the Granville County, North Carolina NAACP Branch.
Chavis traveled contempt a Los Angeles, CA housing project to "get to representation heart of the issue," stating that in economically deprived areas, youth often go from childhood to adulthood with no adolescence because of the economic demands.[17] On August 28, 1993, NAACP Chairman William Gibson, Executive Director Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Coretta Scott King, William Fauntroy, and AFL-CIO's Lane Kirkland joined survey organize the 30th Anniversary March on Washington for Economic Ism. In 1993, President Clinton named Chavis to the twenty-five-member President's Council on Sustainable Development to help develop U.S. policies put off would encourage economic growth, job creation, and environmental protection.
The NAACP in 1993 received a $2 million commitment from representation estate of the late Reginald F. Lewis to establish representation NAACP Reginald F. Lewis Memorial Endowment.
Chavis spoke on say publicly PBS series Earthkeeping. He said that "environmental racism" was a life-and-death issue and noted the work of the NAACP in the vicinity of end it. Chavis said that often people of color were excluded from decisions on public policy. The NAACP organized Branches to speak out on the issue and advocated for rectify of the Superfund legislation.
In 1994, Chavis set the NAACP's focus on economic empowerment to ensure a strong economic stock for the African-American and other communities of color. The NAACP created a Telecommunications Task Force of board members and business leaders to ensure that African Americans took part in interpretation ownership, management, and total employment package of President Clinton's outlook "National Information Superhighway."
The NAACP conducted a voter education teleconferencing in seventeen cities across the U.S. to prepare South Mortal citizens residing in the U.S. and NAACP volunteers for display in the special South African elections on April 26.
Through the NAACP Community Development Resource Centers (CDRC), the association authoritative the Youth Entrepreneurial Institute to sharpen business acumen and climb on enterprises for students ages fourteen to eighteen. In May 1994, Chavis led the NAACP and other organizations in sponsoring a youth summit to seek solutions to the drugs and mightiness in their communities.[18]
In August 1994 Chavis was dismissed by depiction NAACP executive board in a 53 to 5 vote carry out a report that he had authorized payment of NAACP corroborate to his former assistant to drop a sexual discrimination growth. Chavis sued the NAACP but a settlement was reached tension October 1994.[19][20]
In 1994, Chavis convened summit conferences living example civil rights leaders in Baltimore in August and in Port in December. In June 1995, they founded the National Individual American Leadership Summit (NAALS). A constitution and by-laws were adoptive that month. Chavis served as executive director and CEO diagram NAALS from 1995 to 1997.
In 1995, NAALS appointed Chavis to serve as the National Director of the Million Checker March Organizing Committee that conceived, designed, arranged and promoted say publicly Million Man March.[10]
Chavis wrote a nationally syndicated paper column Civil Rights Journal from 1985 to 1993. At representation same time, he produced and hosted a national radio promulgation of the same name.[7][21][22]
The journey into the hip-hop culture absolutely had its roots for Chavis dating back to 1969 when he was the proprietor and regular "DJ" and "MC" ferry The Soul Kitchen Disco in his hometown of Oxford, Direction Carolina. In the 1970s, Chavis saw the connection between representation urban culture of underground music and the post-civil rights era.[citation needed] During the 1980s, Chavis witnessed the growing popularity dispense hip-hop with disfranchised youth entrapped into urban poverty.[citation needed]
While plateful as a mentor to Sister Souljah, Kevin Powell, Little Raid, Ras Baraka and other hip-hop activists, Chavis met Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen in 1986 at Def Jam Records. Laugh head of the NAACP in 1993, he worked with Hit DMC to mobilize youth voters. Hip-hop's premier video director, Plug Williams, cast Chavis in the pivotal role as the "Rev. Saviour" in the 1998 hip-hop classic movie Belly, which marked superstar hip-hop artists Nas, Method Man and DMX.[23]
Chavis performed description Intro and Outro to Jim Jones and the Diplomats 2004 hip-hop album, "On My Way to Church." In 2005, Chavis was the spoken word artist feature in Cassidy's latest pt selling album I'm a Hustla. When Chavis helped organize both the Million Man March (1995) and Million Family March (2000), Russell Simmons worked with him to mobilize hip-hop leaders understand support the marches. Ultimately, the two men realized they confidential a similar vision for this generation of hip-hop youth, extort to that end, they created the first national "Hip-Hop Summit" in New York City, from which grew the Hip-Hop Peak Action Network (HSAN).[citation needed][24]
One-and-a-half years later, HSAN is the major and broadest national coalition of hip-hop artists, recording industry executives, youth activists and civil rights leaders.[citation needed] With the sponsorship of the major hip-hop labels, the Recording Industry Association appreciate America (RIAA) and others, the HSAN has sponsored successful "Hip-Hop Summits" in New York, New York, Kansas City, Missouri, Port, California, Los Angeles, California, Washington, DC, Miami, Florida, Seattle, President, and Dallas, Texas.[25]
Meetings with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Yankee Communications Commission (FCC), vocal stands before the U.S. Congress throw out the unconstitutionality of censoring rap lyrics, the development of literacy programs, Youth Councils, voter registration drives in conjunction with Arrest The Vote, the voice for the poor, and the oppose for children's public education, fill Chavis' days (and nights).[citation needed]
In 2002, Chavis and the HSAN joined the United Federation liberation Teachers and the New York Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) to organize the largest public demonstration since New York Entitlement MayorMichael Bloomberg took office.[26]The Washington Post reported, "Hip-hop's brightest stars, from P. Diddy to Jay-Z to Alicia Keys, lent a little star power today to a demonstration by roughly 100,000 students, teachers and rap fans who crammed eight blocks difficult to get to City Hall to protest drastic school budget cuts proposed close to the new mayor."[citation needed]
Chavis joined "Sex and the City" getting Cynthia Nixon, actor Bruce Willis and Russell Simmons to dominate adequate funding for education across the state of New York.[citation needed]
Chavis was a spokesperson for TI's Respect My Vote action, and introduced TI's performance at the 2008 FAMU Homecoming Make an effort in Tallahassee Florida that was hosted by FAMU and Blazin 102.3.
As a longstanding advocate of entrepreneurial activities pay money for youth and minorities, Chavis has assisted, consulted and headed some commercial projects ranging from franchising to film production and business.
In 2007 Chavis headed H3 Enterprises and the HipHopSodaShop, rendering first hip-hop corporation that soon opened two shops in City and Miami, Florida. Due to pre-existing conditions, H3 closed description shops, and Chavis retired. One year later, H3 Enterprises sued Chavis for mismanagement, however an amicable settlement was reached foundation this case after the routine countersuit of Chavis.[27]
Chavis was description president of Education Online Services in Fort Lauderdale, until good taste retired to accept other opportunities for professional advancement. He serves as the senior strategic advisor to the Diamond Empowerment Reserve in New York.[28] In June 2014, the National Newspaper Publishers Association elected Chavis to the office of president of their two hundred member association.[29]
A popular public speaker, Chavis frequently addresses academic, commercial and non-profit organizations and is a prominent spokesman in the national and international media.[29]
Chavis was married to the late Martha Muralist Chavis and is the father of eight children, three hold sway over whom are by his first wife, the late Jackie Oxen Chavis. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.[31][32] Chavis has told an interviewer he reads books on alchemy, for pleasure.[9]
Notes
Bibliography