After finally reaching NAACP’s John Gaskin III by phone, this reporter didn’t even get a question in before being put on hold.
“Sorry, that was the Brazilian Television Network,” Gaskin said when he got back on the line.
“I got a collect call from South America earlier this morning,” he said with a chuckle. “That didn’t last long.”
At 21, Gaskin is one of the youngest national board members for the NAACP, following the legacy of leadership of his grandmother, St. Louis County NAACP branch’s head Esther Haywood. Since the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Gaskin has become a face for national media, a shoulder for local residents and a sounding board for those nationwide who want to help.
He laughs that CNN’s Wolf Blitzer calls him “his boy,” and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes has him on speed dial. But when he goes on the air, his eyes steel and his voice booms as he demands justice for Brown, who was unarmed when he was gunned down by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Brown’s death – and the dizzying sequence of events that followed – started a protest movement that continues to spread throughout the region and nation.
“As a 21-year-old black man in America, it is very disturbing to see the type of gear that these folks are in,” Gaskin told Chris Hayes, observing police using battle gear – black helmets, camo pants, M-16s and armored vehicles – to patrol the mainly peaceful protesters in Ferguson.
Gaskin got many head nods and plenty of Twitter respect after his initial media interviews, commenting that he spoke “eloquently” and “beyond his years.”
“Wo. John Gaskin is only 21 years old? A star is born…,” tweeted Anu K. Bhagwati, executive director of Service Women’s Action Network, a non-profit human rights organization.
Gaskin is one of several young leaders who were thrust into the spotlight.
The protest movement is propelling young leaders, Gaskin said, because that is what it’s going to take.
“If you haven’t noticed, they are not going to listen to the old people,” he said. “These protesters are relentless. They aren’t going anywhere.”
Although controversial, Gaskin believes State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal has the ears of young people because she’s “on the ground, camped out 24/7,” as does St. Louis City Alderman Antonio French. Brittany Packnett, executive director of Teach for America St. Louis, is also looked to for guidance, he said, along with others.
“Those are people that young people listen to because they’ve been there since day one,” Gaskin said.
That dynamic became even more pronounced when Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton came to town to lead marches and rallies. Twitter filled with posts urging leaders such as Gaskin and French to front the march because they’ve been embedded in the communities during the most difficult days and nights of the protests.
However, Gaskin admits that he and other leaders have potential, but they still need much refining and guidance from their elders.
“The biggest thing that can come out of this is mentorship,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without my grandma. We have a Joshua generation that needs mentoring and fine-tuning. They need people like Donald Suggs (publisher and executive editor of the St. Louis American), Bill Clay Sr. and others to mentor these young people.”
For instance, on the Monday after the shooting, Gaskin and the NAACP held an event at the Murchison Tabernacle CME Church in Normandy. Beforehand, Mayor of Normandy Patrick Green asked him if he thought about security for the potentially large crowd, which did show. Green quickly stepped in to provide it.
“He’s a very sharp young man,” said Green. “He has handled a lot, but this was a little over everyone’s head. He’s doing the best he can with the power that he has.”
As far as justice, Gaskin said he believes Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson should step down. And the City of Ferguson should fire Kevin O’Keefe, the city’s attorney who advised Jackson to release the surveillance video that incriminates Brown in stealing cigars from a local store. Jackson’s move to release the video at the same time as releasing the name of the police officer who shot Brown was clearly an attempt to assassinate Brown’s character, he said.
And if St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCullough does not bring up charges against Wilson, he said, then the NAACP will be prepared to act.
“We know Bob McCullough,” he said. “The St. Louis American knows Bob McCulloch. The Post-Dispatch acts like they don’t know Bob McCulloch.”
But God works in mysterious ways, he said. Only four days before the shooting, McCulloch celebrated an easy win in the primary election. The NAACP will be out on the streets registering people to vote, so they can have a voice at the table. If African-American residents hadn’t been voting at 10 percent, the community might not be “at this juncture,” he said.
“People are hurting and angry,” he said, “but let’s not be an activist on Wednesday when the primary was on Tuesday.”
Follow this reporter on Twitter at @rebeccarivas.
