Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law announced that Damon Hewitt, a former attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), will serve as the organization’s next president and executive director. Sherrilyn Ifill, LDF’s President and Director-Counsel, issued the following statement regarding this announcement:
“We congratulate our friend and colleague, Damon Hewitt, on his appointment as president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee. Throughout his career, including during his long tenure as an LDF attorney, Mr. Hewitt has always exhibited an unwavering and steadfast commitment to advancing civil rights and racial justice – and he is the ideal choice to lead the Lawyers’ Committee through its next chapter during one of the more turbulent times in our nation’s history.
“Mr. Hewitt served as an LDF attorney for over ten years — and left a lasting impact. He founded LDF’s ‘Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline’ initiative, directed our Education Practice Group, and led litigation work on racial disparities in school discipline. A native of Louisiana, Mr. Hewitt also spearheaded LDF’s litigation and advocacy efforts following Hurricane Katrina. He established a satellite office in New Orleans as the Director our Katrina-Gulf Coast Project, where he led our challenge to inequities in the “Road Home” project, pushing to ensure adequate financial support for Black New Orleanians seeking to rebuild their devastated homes. Mr. Hewitt’s tireless commitment to these initiatives impacted countless lives, as he helped advance voting, housing, and education rights for communities of color and ensure accountability for the infringement of those rights. Following his time at LDF, Mr. Hewitt remained ceaselessly committed to achieving racial justice and equality, including leading efforts around police accountability, election protection, Census advocacy, and hate crimes.
“Mr. Hewitt’s robust experience as a civil rights attorney, his integrity, and his unwavering dedication to advancing civil rights have undoubtedly prepared him well to serve as the Lawyers’ Committee’s next president and executive director. We look forward to continuing to work in tandem with the organization – with which we have a longstanding partnership – and to supporting Mr. Hewitt as he undertakes this critical leadership role.”
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Follow LDF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
