February 26, 2023
On Saturday night, Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump received the Social Justice Impact Award at the 54th Annual NAACP Awards for his tireless efforts in protecting the rights of people on the federal, state, and local levels.
Upon accepting the award, Crump, 53, expressed gratitude for the recognition and vowed to use it as greater motivation to continue his work as an unapologetic defender of Black life, liberty, and humanity.
He also spoke out against attempts to block the uncensored teaching of Black history in Florida, where his practice is located, and where he has threatened to sue Governor Ron DeSantis over his policy regarding the teaching of AP African American history courses.
“I will continue to fight in the court of law, in the court of public opinion,” Crump said. “And now that they’re trying to ban our most celebrated Black authors in AP African American studies, we must advocate for our children and our culture in the classrooms and demand that they acknowledge that the teaching of Black history matters!”
Crump is known as “Black America’s Attorney General” for his advocacy for families who have lost loved ones as a result of police violence. He gained international attention in 2012 for representing the family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Miami teen who was shot and killed in a conflict with a self-described neighborhood watch chief, George Zimmerman, in Sanford, Florida. Crump has since represented several other families, including those of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York; Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky; and George Floyd in Minneapolis.
His legal acumen has ensured that those marginalized in American society are protected by their nation’s contract with its constituency. Crump has helped reach historic settlements and verdicts for families that have faced injustices, including a $411 million verdict for Duane Washington, a $641 million settlement for the children of Flint, Michigan, a $27 million settlement for the family of George Floyd, a $12 million settlement for the family of Breonna Taylor, and over $200 million in settlements in banking while Black cases, among others.
Crump’s receipt of the Social Justice Impact Award at the NAACP Awards reflects his steadfast commitment to fighting against systemic racism and discrimination, and to advocating for the rights of those who have been marginalized and oppressed. Benjamin Crump is a 1988 initate of Chi Theta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
