The Martha’s Vineyard chapter of the NAACP has elected Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School educator Dhakir Warren to be president for a two-year term. The election took place on Saturday.

Mr. Warren will be sworn-in on Jan. 1, alongside veteran vice presidents Rita Brown and Russell Ashton, and treasurer Jennie Gadowski. Newcomer to the organization David Martinelli will fill the secretary seat.

Mr. Warren said he is honored to lead the chapter and will look to increase its membership and presence throughout the Island community. He first became a member in 2018 when the chapter met with the regional high school to discuss issues of equity.

At the regional high school, he oversees Project Vine, an alternative program for about 40 students that focuses on meeting individual student needs and encouraging community involvement. Previously, Mr. Warren served as the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club. Prior to that role, he was the director of student affairs at the regional high school.

He said he was inspired to run because of the Island’s youth. Mr. Warren has a seven year-old daughter and has seen firsthand the need for youth to be informed about matters of social justice.

“[I] really want to use this as a platform to ensure that youth are engaged around the issues that are impacting their world and also provide them with the exposure to mobilization, and youth led mobilization, to pursue social change,” Mr. Warren said. “That’s why really engaging youth through the NAACP is so critical.”

But it’s not just youth who need to be engaged, Mr. Warren said. He feels there are instances of racial discrimination that happen everyday on the Island that need addressing.

“I feel like we are a very progressive Island, however, oftentimes our words don’t match our deeds,” Mr. Warren said. “Now is a really important opportunity for us to come together as a community and make sure that we’re supporting the needs of all Island citizens.”

He said he has noticed a lack of representation in all areas of the Island, especially at the municipal government level.

“We need to look at representation across the board, because the only way that we are going to effectively address the needs of everyone in this community is if we start to see everyone in this community,” he said.

Though the NAACP is a non-partisan organization, Mr. Warren said he feels that with Donald J. Trump taking office again as President, the Island needs to deal with its issues of racism and bias now more than ever.

Current president Toni Kauffman did not run for re-election, and said she is excited to support Mr. Warren throughout his transition. She will be joining the executive committee alongside Andrea Cisco, Alex Palmer, Jennelle Gadowski, Grace Robinson, Carrie Tankard, Suzie Pacheco and Joel Weintraub.

“I ran for president two years ago because there was a need for someone who was familiar with the NAACP of Martha’s Vineyard to be in that position...” Ms. Kauffman said. “However, I only promised one term.”

Ms. Kauffman said she turned 70 in October and set personal goals to enjoy life on the Vineyard and to travel, while continuing to help the NAACP through her seat on the committee.

Like Mr. Warren, Ms. Kauffman has a strong background in education. She served as the president of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School for three years and before that worked as a director of community-relations for a virtual public charter school in Pennsylvania. She said she is excited to take on new projects, such as organizing NAACP members with backgrounds in education to speak with students.

Ms. Kauffman said she is looking forward to the next chapter of the organization.

“It is time to pass the torch, however, they will not be on this journey alone,” she said. “Experience and wisdom will always be ready to guide them.”