Q&A With Wane A. Hailes: Leadership, Legacy and a Renewed Commitment to Justice

Staff Report

Following interviews with prospective candidates the Columbus NAACP Nominating Committee Announced their Slate for 2027-2029 Term. The Nominating Committee selected individuals it determined to be best qualified to serve. For president of the organization the committee agreed that candidate is Wane A. Hailes

The Columbus Branch of the NAACP Nominating Committee will present its slate of candidates for branch leadership to the general membership during a scheduled meeting. The election, scheduled for November will be conducted virtually by the national NAACP office.

Every member of the Columbus branch will receive a ballot by email and have 4 hours to vote. If you have not received an email from the Columbus NAACP branch within the last 10 to 20 days please contact the Courier Eco Latino newspaper at couriereconews@gmail.com. 

We recently sat with Wane Hailes about his nomination and why he wishes to lead the organization again.

Q: You have already served as president of the Columbus Branch of the NAACP. Why are you seeking the position again?

Hailes: Because I believe there is still work to be done, and I believe I have the experience, relationships, institutional knowledge and commitment necessary to help move this organization forward.

Let me make something perfectly clear: I am not seeking this position for a title, recognition or personal prestige. I have been blessed to serve in leadership positions throughout my professional life. I don't need another title to validate who I am.

What I do believe is that the Columbus NAACP needs experienced, courageous and committed leadership at this critical moment in our community's history.

The NAACP has always been more than an organization to me. It represents a promise — a promise that injustice will not go unchallenged, discrimination will not go unanswered and the voices of those who have been marginalized will not go unheard.

I am seeking the presidency because I believe I can help the branch fulfill that promise.

Q: Why do you believe you are the best person to serve as president of the Columbus NAACP?

Hailes: Because leadership is not simply about what you promise to do. It is about what you have already demonstrated you are capable of doing.

I bring a combination of executive leadership, community organizing, coalition building, media experience and direct involvement in civil rights advocacy.

I spent 15 years in YMCA leadership, including serving as CEO of the A.J. McClung YMCA. I founded 100 Women on the Move and First Friday, and helped establish the Midnight Basketball League. Those initiatives required vision, organization, fundraising, relationship building and, most importantly, the ability to bring people together around a common purpose.

As president and publisher of the Courier Eco Latino Newspaper, I have spent more than two decades providing a platform for voices that too often go unheard.

And as a former NAACP branch president, I understand the responsibilities of the office, the importance of following the organization's constitution and bylaws, and the necessity of building an effective leadership team.

I don't have to learn what leadership looks like. I have spent much of my adult life practicing it.

But I also understand that experience alone does not make someone the best candidate. It is what you do with that experience that matters.

Q: What did your previous term as NAACP president teach you?

Hailes: It taught me that effective leadership requires more than passion. It requires patience, discipline, accountability and the willingness to listen.

I learned that everyone who joins the NAACP does not necessarily agree on every issue or every strategy. And that's all right.

Our strength should never depend on everyone thinking alike. Our strength comes from our ability to work together despite our differences.

I also learned that a president must be willing to make difficult decisions, accept criticism and recognize that no individual is bigger than the organization.

Leadership is not about always being right. Sometimes it is about having the humility to acknowledge when you are wrong and the courage to make it right.

Q: What would be your top priorities if elected?

Hailes: My administration would focus on rebuilding trust, strengthening membership engagement, increasing community visibility and making the NAACP a more proactive advocate for justice.

First, I want members to know that their voices matter. The branch belongs to its membership, not to the president or a select group of individuals.

Second, I want to increase our membership base which is currently at 143 members, strengthen our committees and give them the resources, responsibilities and support necessary to do meaningful work.

Third, I want to establish stronger relationships with churches, educators, young professionals, students, neighborhood organizations and community stakeholders.

Fourth, I want us to become more intentional in addressing issues involving education, economic opportunity, voting rights, criminal justice, housing discrimination and equal access to public services.

Finally, I want to place renewed emphasis on developing young leaders. If we are not preparing the next generation to carry the torch, then we are failing in one of our most important responsibilities.

Q: Some people believe the NAACP has lost some of its influence in local communities. How would you address that concern?

Hailes: I believe influence is earned through action, consistency and credibility.

People must see the NAACP doing more than holding meetings, issuing statements and appearing at ceremonial events.

They need to see us showing up when a parent believes their child has been treated unfairly in school. They need to see us asking difficult questions when citizens raise concerns about law enforcement or government accountability.

They need to see us advocating for economic opportunities, fair treatment and policies that improve the quality of life for everyone.

And they need to see us when there isn't a television camera in the room.

The NAACP should not have to wait until a crisis occurs to become relevant. Our relevance should be demonstrated through our daily commitment to the people we serve.

Q: How important is independence in the leadership of the NAACP?

Hailes: Independence is absolutely essential.

The NAACP must be willing to hold elected officials, government agencies, businesses and institutions accountable regardless of personal relationships, political affiliations or social connections.

We can work with elected officials without working for them.

We can respect people in positions of authority without surrendering our responsibility to question their decisions.

And we can build partnerships without compromising our principles.

I believe the NAACP must always maintain the freedom to speak truth to power, even when that truth makes people uncomfortable.

Our responsibility is not to protect personalities. Our responsibility is to protect principles.

Q: You have spent much of your career bringing different groups together. How would that experience benefit the NAACP?

Hailes: One of the most important lessons I have learned is that no single organization can solve all the challenges facing our community.

Real progress requires collaboration.

Throughout my career, I have worked with faith leaders, business owners, educators, nonprofit organizations, elected officials and grassroots community advocates.

Those relationships matter because they allow us to move beyond conversations and begin developing solutions.

I want the Columbus NAACP to be an organization that builds bridges without compromising its values.

We must be able to sit at the table with people who may disagree with us, but we must never become so comfortable at that table that we forget the people who sent us there.

Q: How would you encourage younger people to become involved in the NAACP?

Hailes: We have to stop expecting young people to become excited about an organization simply because of its history.

We must demonstrate how that history connects to the challenges they face today.

Young people are concerned about student debt, employment opportunities, housing affordability, education, social justice and their future.

Those are civil rights issues, too.

We must give young people meaningful leadership opportunities, listen to their ideas and respect the different ways they organize and communicate.

We cannot continue telling young people they are the leaders of tomorrow while refusing to give them a seat at the table today.

The future of the NAACP depends on our willingness to embrace the next generation.

Q: How will members know whether your administration is successful?

Hailes: They should be able to measure our success by results, not rhetoric.

Are we increasing active membership? Are our committees functioning? Are we communicating regularly with members? Are we responding to legitimate community concerns? Are we developing young leaders? Are we building meaningful partnerships?

And perhaps most importantly, are people better served because the Columbus NAACP is actively engaged in the community?

I want us to establish clear priorities, communicate our progress and hold ourselves accountable.

Members should never have to wonder what their organization is doing.

Q: What is your leadership philosophy?

Hailes: I believe leadership is service, not status.

I believe transparency builds trust, accountability strengthens institutions and courage is essential when confronting injustice.

I believe a president should be accessible to the membership, respectful of differing opinions and willing to make decisions based on what is right rather than what is popular.

And I believe leadership must be rooted in the understanding that we are temporary stewards of something much bigger than ourselves.

The NAACP existed before any of us held office, and it will exist long after we are gone.

Our responsibility is to leave it stronger than we found it.

Q: Finally, what is your message to the members of the Columbus NAACP as they prepare to vote?

Hailes: My message is simple.

This election is not about returning Wane Hailes to the presidency. It is about determining the future direction of an organization whose mission remains as relevant today as it was when it was founded in 1909.

I believe the Columbus NAACP deserves leadership that is experienced, engaged, accessible and unafraid.

Leadership that understands the difference between being seen and being effective.

Leadership that recognizes the importance of listening before speaking, building before boasting and serving before seeking recognition.

I am not promising that every challenge will be resolved overnight. I am promising to bring my experience, energy, relationships and unwavering commitment to the work.

I believe my record demonstrates that I know how to organize people, build partnerships, manage organizations and advocate for communities.

But more than anything, I understand that the NAACP presidency is not a position of privilege. It is a position of responsibility.

And if the membership entrusts me with that responsibility again, I intend to honor that trust through service, transparency, courage and results.

Because at the end of the day, the question is not who gets to sit in the president's chair. The question is who is prepared to stand up when our community needs someone to stand for them.

And I believe I have demonstrated, throughout my life, that I am willing to stand.

Wane A. Hailes served as president of the Columbus Branch of the NAACP from 2020 to 2023. He is a candidate for branch president for the 2027-2029 term.