NAACP Selects Pacer for National Leadership Program

Aiken, SC (04/14/2020) — Julia Evans, a junior exercise science major at the University of South Carolina Aiken, has been accepted to participate in a nationwide leadership program for college students, sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"The NAACP Next Generation Program is a leadership development training program for young adults between the ages of 21 and 40 to receive comprehensive leadership and advocacy training to develop leadership competencies to become effective civil rights leaders," according to the organization's website.

The year-long program includes training aimed at developing leadership competencies necessary to being effective civil rights leaders. Focus areas include leadership development, legislative action, unit administration, advocacy and program planning consistent with the six NAACP Game Changer areas. These areas are: economic sustainability, education, health, criminal justice, political action, and youth engagement, based on information noted on the NAACP website.

"It is a great honor to be selected for the NextGen Program," Evans said.

"I hope to gain knowledge that will benefit others on a larger scale."

The Blythewood native believes civil engagement changes through the generations.

"I look forward to learning how to motivate my peers to make changes," she said.

"I hope we all come together and put forward solutions."

Racism is an issue of great importance Evans.

"We have to discuss this openly and engage one another," the exercise sports science major and communication minor said.

"Engaging partners takes time, and it will take time to implement ideas on a macro level."

She believes that it's important not only to reach out to small groups of people but to reach out to those who truly want to engage larger groups.

The former three-year president of the USC Aiken student chapter of the NAACP will be part of the 2020 cohort of the Juanita Jackson Collegiate Track of the NextGen program, which is specifically for students currently enrolled in college. This track includes online training that focuses on membership recruitment, voter registration and best practice related to joining the national organization after graduation.

After completing the Juanita Jackson track, Evans will be required to become a member of an adult NAACP branch, and she will participate in the W.E.B. DuBois track of the NextGen Program after she graduates from USC Aiken. DuBois was one of the founding members of the NAACP, who established the biracial, civil rights organization in the early 1900s.

"I want to be impactful outside of school," said Evans who hopes to be a physical therapist.

"I hope to use the NextGen network to create connections, uplift others, create growth, and to help others create a more just system."

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