JBHE: Latest News for 1/6/11

A White Man Is Elected President of the NAACP Chapter at Historically Black Jackson State University

Michael Teasley was elected president of the NAACP chapter on the campus of Jackson State University, the historically black educational institution in Mississippi. Teasley is in his mid-30s and is a senior at Jackson State majoring in political science. And Teasely is white.

Teasely dropped out of school in junior high and began to sell drugs. At the age of 18 he had a son and worked two jobs while studying for his GED. He then landed a job securing sites for cell telephone towers and made a good living. In 2008 Teasley decided he wanted something more and enrolled in college. But he was arrested on drug charges and spent four months in jail because he could not afford the bail. When he was released, his anger prompted him to throw bricks through the police department windows and he was arrested for destruction of public property.

Teasely became friends with a pastor while in jail and was baptized in his cell. He pled guilty to the charges of destruction of public property and was placed on five years probation. Back at school he became involved in a voter registration drive during the 2008 election campaign and became an active member in the NAACP. He was elected president of the chapter this past fall.

Teasely is scheduled to graduate in 2012. He may consider law school or he might jump right into politics.