Former NAACP Head Ben Jealous Enters MD Governor's Race Campaigning for Economic and Social Justice

(Photo: Brian Witte/ AP)

Former NAACP Head Ben Jealous Enters MD Governor's Race Campaigning for Economic and Social Justice

"In this moment, when extreme right-wing conservatives control every branch of our federal government, we'regoing to celebrate the power that we have in our states, and move our states forward, no matter what happens in Washington."

Ben Jealous, the youngest person to ever head the NAACP, has entered the race for governor of Maryland. He announced his bid Wednesday outside of his cousin's West Baltimore flower shop, which was opened after the 2015 unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray, who died while in police custody. A prominent Bernie Sanders surrogate in the 2016 presidential race, Jealous describes, in an extended interview, his plans to run as an activist, pursuing a broad agenda of civil rights, social, and economic justice.

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