Statesboro civil rights lawyer Francys Johnson has resigned as Georgia NAACP president and hinted he is doing so in order to run for Congress in 2018.
"Our nation is in crisis," Johnson said Saturday upon stepping down during the organization's national convention in Baltimore, which will continue through Tuesday. "This moment calls for every head, heart, and hand to engage the work of ensuring that all the promises of our democracy are fulfilled. The upcoming election in 16 months carries consequences unlike any other mid-term in our lifetime. This election will either reinforce and sustain the path we're on or change it. I promise no one will work harder to turn this momentum for change into a reality."
Johnson, who has a law office in Statesboro, described the decision as an emotional one for him, saying, "It's emotional to step away from doing something you love."
The Georgia NAACP's announcement of Johnson's resignation said he "stopped short of an announcement" to challenge Republican Rep. Rick Allen of Augusta. But, the organization noted, the NAACP rules require officers to step down to run for elected positions.
Johnson has led a statewide effort to register minority voters and helped defend some who were arrested in the process and ultimately acquitted of all charges. He filed 10 state and federal lawsuits addressing redistricting, voter purging and at-large voting. He helped lead demonstrations against officer-involved shootings and helped organize the Atlanta March for Women and Social Justice, which drew 63,000 protesters.
"Francys Johnson lent his talent, time and treasure to the association at a critical time. I don't think we've seen the last of his leadership," Derrick Johnson, newly-appointed interim president and CEO, said in the NAACP announcement.
"Street heat and legal teeth were the hallmark of Johnson's leadership with the Georgia NAACP," executive committee member Graylan Quarterman said in the news release. "He brought his marching boots and law books."