By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
DeJuana Thompson will step down as president and CEO of The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to focus on voting rights activities and community organizing in advance of the national political elections in the fall, the institute has announced.
Thompson, who was named to lead the BCRI three years ago told The Birmingham Times on Thursday it was “an honor to serve the institute” and she plans to continue that work.
“The work is critical now more than ever to revisit our history and to draw from both the strength and the strategies as we fight for [the future],” Thompson told The Times. “I am excited to take what I’ve learned from that experience into the next phase.”
Thompson is turning her attention on leading Woke Vote, the 501c3 voter education and advocacy organization she founded in 2017, to solve voting rights issues. She intends to start a nationwide engagement tour aimed to inspire action across the country, particularly among Black and brown communities.
“Given the current state of the country, we must both protect institutions like BCRI and safeguard our democracy,” Thompson said via a news release. “My work with Woke Vote will allow me to directly address these threats, train new organizers, and engage our communities in the fight for our fundamental rights.”
Isaac Cooper, the BCRI board chairman, will take over as interim president and CEO. Thompson joined the BCRI in 2021 and has been president and CEO since May 2022.
“BCRI is grateful for Ms. Thompson’s leadership during a difficult time,” Cooper said in a statement. “She came in at a critical juncture in our history, steadied the ship and helped us expand our reach. We wish her all the success in the future as she returns to her first love of community activism and empowering people across the country.”
Thompson, a Birmingham native and founder of her own social impact firm, Black Equity Strategy and Trust, was no stranger to the BCRI having first volunteered in 1999 as a youth guide.
As founder of Woke Vote, Thompson’s organization mobilized African American voters in the South through campus and faith-based outreach, strategic media outreach, culturally relevant GOTV efforts and training. The program engaged over two million Black voters nationwide and has trained over 5K new leaders.
Thompson got her start working in municipal politics as a Committee Assistant to the Birmingham City Council before becoming the Special Projects Coordinator and Council Neighborhood Liaison working on engagement and programming with Birmingham’s 99 neighborhood presidents.
Thompson obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication with a minor in African American studies from Berea College and a Master’s Certificate in Effective Project Management from Rockhurst University. She has completed course work toward a Master of Political Management from George Washington University.
Updated at 10:55 a.m. on 7/19/2024 to clarify founding of firm.
