Civil Rights Movement's Lobbying Arm Is Stepping Down?!

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              The longtime head of the organization that was considered by many to be the lobbying arm of the civil rights movement announced two days ago that he will be stepping down at the beginning of 2016. The leader's reasoning for his departure is to make room for new leaders. He claims that there is a new generation in the civil rights movement and that leadership would best be in the hands of fresh, new faces. Wade Henderson has been the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for almost 20 years. There will be a nationwide search for Henderson's replacement. The organization was founded in 1950 by Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, making this organization a historical treasure. The group works more behind the scenes than other, more public organizations. Henderson said he will continue working on issues such as criminal justice changes, transperency in police body-worn camera programs and efforts to restore the Voting Rights Act while the Leadership Conference searches for a new leader. "I am leaving at the top of my game," Henderson said.

     
              I consider this article to be interesting because it will be intriguing to see a new face leading one of the most powerful civil rights movement branches. In marching band, whenever there is a new section leader the vibe of the whole section is completely different. I wonder if this so called "lobbying arm" will still carry out some of the same tasks as done when Henderson was in charge. Maybe they will step up more into the public eye instead of working behind the scenes so much.

               This article relates to what we are talking about in class because we have been talking about lobbying. Lobbying is when there is a representative of a special interest group that pretty much brushes shoulders with congress men to make certain issues politically relevant that are important to said interest group. In the case of the civil rights movement, it takes more than just one lobbyist to represent such a large movement, so the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights acts as a lobbying arm for the whole movement in order to have a better stance in congress. By Wade Henderson stepping down as head of this position, a large ripple effect could occur throughout the movement. If the new leader of the Leadership Conference is not adequate at leading the group, then the civil rights special interest movement could fail.