The Human Rights Campaign has named Alphonso David as its new president, making him the first African American to lead the organization in its nearly 40-year history.
“If we want to win full equality, that’s going to require us to come together, to dig deep, to be resilient, to embrace our differences, to tenaciously defend the most vulnerable among us, to fight with every ounce of determination we have,” David said in a video announcement released by HRC (below). “I promise you this, I will fight for each and every one of us. All I ask is that you join me, that you join the Human Rights Campaign in our fight for true equality. In unity, we will fight back and we will win.”
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States. David will be the first civil rights lawyer and the first person of color to lead the organization.
David, 48, is a graduate of the University of Maryland and Temple University School of Law. He has worked as an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University Law School and at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Most recently, David served as counsel to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“I could not be more proud to take the helm and lead the Human Rights Campaign as its next president,” David said in the video.
David will begin his tenure with HRC in August, succeeding Chad Griffin, an activist and former aide to President Bill Clinton.
