James Woodall
James Woodall | |
|---|---|
| President of the Georgia NAACP | |
| In office October 2019 - ? | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 1, 1994 Riverdale, Georgia, USA |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Minister |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | USA |
| Service | US Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
James Woodall (born February 1, 1994)[1] is an American Baptist minister, politician and activist. Woodall is the former President of the Georgia NAACP.
Early life and education
[edit]James Woodall was born in Riverdale, Georgia in 1994. He was a member of the ROTC in high school. He earned an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University (GSU) in 2016. While attending GSU, he worked for Francys Johnson as a legal assistant.[2] He completed his master's at the Interdenominational Theological Center at Morehouse College.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Woodall is a former intelligence analyst for the United States Army. He served in the Army for eight years and left as a sergeant.[2] He currently serves as a minister at Pleasant Grove Missionary Church in Marietta, Georgia.[1] Woodall is also a legislative aide to Georgia state representative Miriam Paris.[2]
Politics and activism
[edit]Woodall became active in the NAACP in 2015 after the deaths of Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin.[3] He graduated from the NAACP's Next-Gen leadership program. During that time, he was president of the state's youth and college program and also vice president of the Bulloch County NAACP. He was elected president of the Georgia state NAACP in October 2019, making him the youngest Georgia NAACP president in the organization's history.[1]
In the wake of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger created a bipartisan election task force, in October, to improve voting systems and law in the state. Woodall was named to the task force. On December 30, 2020, Woodall quit the task force calling it a "farce", that "it's all for show," and that no actions have taken place despite numerous task force meetings.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Morgan, Valerie J. (October 17, 2019). "Story updated: James Woodall elected youngest state president of Georgia NAACP". On Common Ground News - 24/7 local news. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Hackle, Al (October 23, 2020). "Woodall NAACP state president at 25". Statesboro Herald. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Rhone, Neda (December 9, 2019). "James Woodall Makes History as Youngest NAACP State Conference President". Crisis Magazine. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta (December 30, 2020). "Head of Georgia NAACP resigns from Raffensperger's election task force". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Colarossi, Natalie (December 30, 2020). "Georgia NAACP president resigns from state's election task force: "It's a farce"". Newsweek. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- "Protest March In Atlanta To Call Out Systematic Criminal Justice Failures", an interview with Woodall on NPR
- "Officer Who Killed Rayshard Brooks Faces Felony Murder Charges — But 'We Still Have A Long Way To Go,' Georgia NAACP President Says", an interview with Woodall on Here and Now
- Living people
- African-American Baptist ministers
- 21st-century Baptist ministers from the United States
- 21st-century Georgia (U.S. state) politicians
- African-American people in Georgia (U.S. state) politics
- NAACP activists
- People from Clayton County, Georgia
- Georgia Southern University alumni
- Morehouse College alumni
- United States Army non-commissioned officers
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 1994 births