NAACP Plans To Move Headquarters From Baltimore To Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- The NAACP plans to move its headquarters from Baltimore to the nation's capital, the group announced Monday.
In a news release, the civil rights organization said it signed a letter of intent to move to the Frank D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs at 2000 14th Street NW in Washington, D.C. Its current headquarters is at 4805 Mt. Hope Drive in northwest Baltimore.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson cited the ability to "be even more proactive in serving the Black community" in the nation's capital as the reason for the move.
"This development venture will fuel the reinvigoration of the NAACP envisioned three years ago," he said in the release. "As we have witnessed over the last month, our country is on the cusp of real change that is long overdue. A new home in Washington will allow us to not only fully participate in the growth of this great city, but to also amplify the voices of the Black people as we fight for the crucial policy changes and economic empowerment needed in communities across the country."
Baltimore's Democratic nominee for Mayor, Brandon Scott, urged the NAACP to reconsider it's planned move to Washington D.C.
Scott said the NAACP has a long history with Baltimore and he has reached out to Johnson to talk to him about the planned move.
No timeline for the move was given, but it will happen as part of a redevelopment of the Reeves Center that is set to include office space and affordable housing.