National Black Justice Coalition Announces Appointment of Benjamin L. Crump to Board of Directors
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 28, 2018) – The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) today announced the appointment of national civil rights attorney Benjamin L. Crump to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. NBJC is the nation’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS.
Crump, founder of the Tallahassee, Florida-based law firm Ben Crump Law, PLLC, has represented a breadth of high-profile clients in some of the most important and contentious social justice cases of our time. He is widely recognized for his fearless pursuit of justice for all people and has built a legacy around the notion that the Constitution applies to everyone at every level of society, including the Black LGBTQ/SGL community.
“NBJC is incredibly pleased to have Attorney Ben Crump join our Board of Directors, particularly given his intersectional advocacy for Black people who have faced any form of discrimination, injustice or unwarranted violence due to their race, sexual orientation or gender identity,” said David J. Johns, NBJC Executive Director. “I often say that ‘for as long as there have been Black people, there have been Black LGBTQ/SGL people,’ and given this truth, it is imperative that we have civil rights leaders who recognize the intersectional oppression our community faces.”
Johns’ work with Crump dates back to 2012 when he was a Director of IMPACT. He worked with Crump and the National Bar Association to produce “The Nation’s Best Advocates,” a platform to celebrate Black lawyers excelling within the profession while using their skills and training to improve the lives of Black people and communities.
“With Attorney Crump’s commitment to advocacy and his unparalleled legal acumen, he will bring an enormous amount of value to our organization, and I look forward to working with him to advance our fight to eradicate racism and homophobia in this country,” Johns added.
Crump has been at the forefront of the modern day Civil Rights Movement, becoming a voice for Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Martin Lee Anderson following their tragic encounters with racism in America. He has also represented Jannie Ligons and multiple other women sexually assaulted by a former Oklahoma City police officer (State of Oklahoma vs. Daniel Holtzclaw), Robbie Tolan, Chikesia Clemons, and, most recently, Anthony Wall in their fights against injustice. Wall is the 22-year-old Black gay man who was recently assaulted by police officers in Warsaw, NC, after facing alleged racial and homophobic discrimination at a local Waffle House.
“I am honored to join the Board of the National Black Justice Coalition, our nation’s leading civil rights organization at the intersection of the Black and LGBTQ communities,” said Crump. “For more than 15 years, NBJC has been doing the very necessary work to fight for social justice and racial equality for all Black people through fervent advocacy, public policy change and the recognition — and celebration — of the contributions of the Black LGBTQ community. It is long overdue that leaders in the Black community step up and support the LGBTQ movement, and I am looking forward to joining NBJC in their fight.”
Crump added, “More and more, I am seeing injustices that the LGBTQ community faces — from being harassed, stigmatized, marginalized and murdered — and it’s most prevalent among people of color who are also LGBTQ, simply for existing in this world. I will not stand by and allow this and am committed to continuing my work with NBJC to ensure that Black LGBTQ people have the necessary protections under the law that are rightfully theirs.”
It was during his tenure as the president of the National Bar Association (NBA) that Crump had the realization that society did not recognize the levels of injustice at the intersection of racial justice and LGBTQ equality. He furthermore realized that the Black community was not doing enough for Black LGBTQ people as a whole.
"I have known and worked with Attorney Crump on a number of civil rights issues over the past 30 years. It was when I worked with him during his tenure as the president of the National Bar Association that I knew I needed his legal prowess and unapologetic advocacy as a member of the NBJC Board of Directors," said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Chairman and CEO of NBJC’s Board of Directors. "Individuals in the Black LGTBQ/SGL community face injustices every day, and Ben's expertise, influence and commitment to equal treatment for all under the law will help NBJC better serve our community. It is such an honor to have a close friend and colleague on the frontline for social justice and democracy, someone who believes in our mission to the level that he can see himself as a ‘Brother in the Movement’ for justice and equality for LGBTQ/SGL people.”
In addition to his work with NBJC, Crump is heavily involved in his community, having previously endowed scholarships to Florida A&M University, Livingston College, Florida State University, and Bethune-Cookman University for minority law students. He also serves as the president and co-founder of MyDad360, a mentoring program for fathers endorsed by Colin Powell and recognized by President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. He is a Life Member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, and the Urban League.
Crump is a frequent speaker and author, having been featured in documentaries like NPR’s “How Lawyer Got Nation Talking About Trayvon Martin” and BET’s “I Am Trayvon Martin: A Family’s Fight for Justice.” He is also a frequent contributor to Time magazine, discussing many of the civil rights and criminal justice issues African-Americans face today.
Crump is doing increasingly more work in film and television. Crump was cast in the 2017 film "Marshall", a biopic on civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall, as well as on a Fox reality show called “You the Jury.” Earlier this year, he had a starring role in A&E’s six-part documentary series "Who Killed Tupac" and was also featured in a documentary about Trayvon Martin.
