Ben Jealous

Read the story about how the stars who stood up for the rights of African-Americans in 1963 helped win freedom for Black people in America… and also for artists in Hollywood. https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/09/30/colbert-kimmel-martin-luther-king-jr-1960s-blacklist-era-ben-jealous

This is a movement that spreads fear, then exploits that fear to divide us — Black from Brown, citizen from immigrant, neighbor from neighbor. But as Rogers Park’s Gabe Gonzales and other organizers in Chicago have shown, solidarity still wins🔗

📸 Erin Hooley/AP

https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/05/21/trumps-anti-immigrant-ice-raids-deportation-chicago-rainbow-push-ben-jealous

Last night at the NAACP Image Awards, we were reminded of the power of storytelling, the weight of history, and the work still ahead. Dave Chappelle said it best—it takes persistence. It takes courage. It takes all of us, seizing every opportunity to keep chipping away at this monster of a machine.

It was also a proud moment to celebrate Jotaka Eaddy. Twenty-nine years ago, she was my intern. Last night, she took the stage as an NAACP Image Award winner.

Just touched down in Pasadena for the

Proud to be here as the Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter continues its work helping communities recover from devastating fires. And tonight, I get to celebrate my godbrother Dave as he receives the NAACP President’s Award, carrying forward a legacy of courage and justice.

More than a century ago, his great-grandfather, Bishop William David Chappelle, walked into the White House and looked President Woodrow Wilson in the eye—a man who, much like some we’ve seen in recent years, used his power to divide rather than unite. Wilson had screened Birth of a Nation at the White House, celebrating a film that glorified the Klan. But the NAACP fought back, organizing protests, boycotts, and legal challenges because they understood something fundamental: history isn’t just something we inherit, it’s something we shape.

That fight isn’t over. And tonight, we lift up those who are still pushing us forward.