On Saturday, February 21, 2009, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church Disciples of Christ (a 123 year old congregation founded by former slaves) for over 15 years, Chairman of Rebuilding Broken Places Community Development Corporation (that has done more than seven million dollars in community development) and President of the North Carolina NAACP State Conference was sworn in and seated on the National NAACP Board of Directors at it’s 100th Annual Board Meeting in New York City.
Rev. Dr. Barber has led the State Conference of North Carolina into national recognition when he accepted the 2006 Juanita Jackson Mitchell, Esq. Award for Legal Activism on its behalf. This is the highest award in the NAACP for Legal Redress Advocacy. The North Carolina NAACP also received the Thalhimers award at the National Convention held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2009. This is the highest NAACP award given to a state conference for being the most active and programmatic State Conference in the country. North Carolina is in Region V. North Carolina is the largest state conference in Region V and the third largest state conference in our nation.
In 2007, he led and developed HKonJ (Historical Thousands on Jones Street); the People’s Assembly with a 14-Point Agenda which is recognized not only in North Carolina but throughout the country. HKonJ is made up of more than 85 coalition partners and has been called by some the most progressive movement in the last 20 years. The coalition has been instrumental in helping to win millions of educational dollars for disadvantage students, housing, minority health, raising the minimum wage, and securing same day registration and early voting. The coalition has also helped to free wrongly charged and wrongly accused African Americans from jail and death row.
Dr. Barber has received more than 100 awards for his outstanding contributions to the community.
Dr. Barber’s servant hood and community service work begin in his early childhood where he served as the youth council president in his home county and a student leader in college. Dr. Barber graduated from the Washington County Public Schools, North Carolina Central University, Duke University, and earned a doctorial degree from Drew University. He is the son of Eleanor Barber and the late Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, Sr., who helped to integrate the public schools in Washington County. He is the husband of Rebecca Barber and the father of five children and one brother, Charles Barber. He is a life member of the NAACP. He joins long time activist Ms. Carolyn Q. Coleman and Mr. Lenny Springs on the Board of Directors from North Carolina.
Offering received Sept. 26 & Oct. 3