The NAACP Columbus Branch Is Coming Back. And We Are Not Coming Back the Same.

By Sean Walton, Jr.

April 6, 2026

On April 20, 2026, the members of NAACP Columbus Branch 3177 will elect new leadership. The election is online, administered by the NAACP National Office, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

I am running for President. I am running unopposed. I will have the ability to appoint individuals to open seats with Executive Committee approval.

I need to tell you three things: What happened. What is happening now. What I need from you.

What Happened

In 2024, this branch faced a crisis that temporarily suspended our operations and triggered a national intervention. We will not relitigate the past. That chapter is closed.

Where some see a setback, I see a setup for collective unity and power like never before. We used that time to sharpen strategy, fortify commitment, and deepen our bench. Because power cannot be paused. And you cannot postpone purpose.

What Is Happening Now

We have spent the past year building the infrastructure for what comes next. Not an organizational chart. Not a slate of officers. An operating system.

We call it Our Columbus Way.

It draws from the discipline of Fortune 100 operations, the organizing power of progressive movements, and the long tradition of Black institution-building that the NAACP has carried since 1909. It is built on one premise: the branch must be stronger than any single leader. The systems must outlast every administration.

We are not building an organization. We are building the infrastructure for liberation.

Organizations hold meetings. Infrastructure generates power. Organizations come and go with their leaders. Infrastructure outlasts everyone.

Here is what that means in practice. Three Vice Presidents managing committee portfolios. Twenty-two standing committees, each with co-chairs. A monthly operating cadence with hard deadlines. Crisis response protocols. Approval systems, escalation ladders, and coalition strategies. Everything documented so that when questions arise, the documents answer them.

This branch will not operate on personality. It will operate on principle and process.

The Election

April 20, 2026. Online. 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern. Administered directly by the NAACP National Office.

To vote, you must be a current, dues-paying member of NAACP Columbus Branch 3177. If your membership has lapsed, renew it now. Not next week. Now.

This is not a request for my benefit. I am running unopposed. This is about something larger than any election. Every member who renews or joins before April 20th is casting a vote for the future of Black Columbus. Every membership is a declaration that organized people can change systems. Every dollar in dues strengthens our collective power to fight for justice in policing, housing, education, employment, and every other arena where decisions are being made about Black life in this city.

Membership is a civil right, not a privilege of means. No one is turned away due to cost. Your voice matters more than your wallet.

What I Need From You

Three things.

Renew your membership or join. Go to naacp.org and make sure your membership with Branch 3177 is current. If you know someone whose membership has lapsed, call them. Text them. Walk to their door.

Spread the word. Share this post. Tell your neighbors, your coworkers, your congregation, your fraternity and sorority siblings, your barber, your beautician. Tell them the NAACP Columbus is coming back. And it is coming back with a plan.

Get ready to work. We have 22 committees that need people. We need lawyers and teachers and students and retirees and small business owners and artists and organizers and people who have never done anything like this before but know in their gut that something has to change. Whether you give time, talent, treasure, touch, or trust, there is a seat at this table for you.

What Comes Next

The decisions being made right now will shape Black life in Columbus for decades. Intel is investing billions. Neighborhoods are being rezoned. School funding formulas are being rewritten. Police contracts are being negotiated.

In every room where those decisions are made, Black power must be present. Organized. Informed. Relentless.

After the election, we move fast. Every committee stood up. Officers trained. Membership drive launched. Coalition partnerships with Black-led organizations across Columbus formalized.

We are the spine of a Coalition of Blackness, not an empire. We coordinate without controlling. We route work to the organizations closest to it. When partners win, we win.

This branch was founded in 1915 at the Spring Street YMCA. It was home before any of us arrived. It will be home long after we have finished our part in this fight. What we build now, the leaders who come after us will inherit.

April 20th will mark 558 days since I announced my candidacy for President of the NAACP Columbus. There is an election on April 20th. I am running for a reason.

Do not get anything misconstrued. There is no confusion. There is collective power that is building, and what is understood does not have to be explained.

We will be moving with surgical precision when it comes to our rights, our power, and our future.

We are not waiting. We are building. We are still coming.

Join the movement. Renew your membership today at naacp.org. (Updated April 16, 2026)