2022 Honorees - Warrior of Justice


Marc Morial
President and CEO, National Urban League
A leading voice on the national stage in the battle for jobs, education, housing and voting rights equity, Marc Morial leads the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization. Named one of Ebony Magazine’s 100 most influential Black Americans, the Georgetown University Law Center and University of Pennsylvania graduate has also served as Mayor of New Orleans, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a Louisiana State Senator, and a lawyer with a high-profile practice. Morial has also been inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta. READ MORE

Derrick Johnson
President and CEO, NAACP
A longstanding member and leader of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson has led the association since 2017, guiding it through a period of re-envisioning and reinvigoration, with efforts including the 2018 “Log Out” Facebook campaign, the “Jamestown to Jamestown” partnership, the “We are Done Dying” campaign, and the 2020 Supreme Court lawsuit preventing the Trump administration’s rescinding of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. A former President of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP, he continues to be on the frontlines of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time. READ MORE

Dr. Charles Steele, Jr.
President and CEO, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Standing in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Charles Steele, Jr. led the SCLC from 2004-09, and is in his second term since 2012. A civil rights leader first, using his constituency as a pulse to direct action and chapter development of public policies, his vision of a “national playing field” keeps him in touch with current issues and political fairness. A member of the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, Dr. Steele was an Alabama State Senator and Senate Member of the High Chamber of the International States Parliament for Safety and Peace. READ MORE

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.,
Founder and President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
One of America’s foremost civil rights, religious and political figures, Reverend Jesse Jackson has played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice. Referred to as "Conscience of the Nation" and "the Great Unifier," the Presidential Medial of Freedom honoree has challenged America to be inclusive and establish just and humane priorities for the benefit of all. He is the founder of Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) and National Rainbow Coalition, merging the work of both to maximize resources. READ MORE