Detroit NAACP President Wendell Anthony named Activist of the Year

Wendell Anthony (Photo: Fellowship Chapel)

Rev. Wendell Anthony was named Activist of the Year at the 52nd annual NAACP Image Awards on Saturday.

Anthony is the president of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP, a position he has held for 27 years. He is also the pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit.

The organization awarded Anthony with the honor for work he did in 2020 to help Detroiters during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as his actions to protect voting rights and fight for social justice, the NAACP said.

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Anthony, who was born in St. Louis and raised in Detroit, has formed numerous organizations to help people, including the nonprofit Freedom Institute for Economic, Social Justice, and People Empowerment, as well as the Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee, which is described as a grassroots community-oriented organization that supports issues and candidates often overlooked by those in the traditional political arena.

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He also started the Take Your Souls to the Polls voter registration and mobilization program, an initiative designed to get young people more involved in voting.

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