Bankole's Nation Episode 14 Jim Vincent a national civil rights activist, served as president of the Providence Branch of the NAACP in Rhode Island for 12 years.

Jim Vincent, a national civil rights activist, served as president of the Providence Branch of the NAACP in Rhode Island for 12 years. During his tenure, he successfully advocated for Black representation in the judiciary, including appointments to the Rhode Island Supreme Court. However, his fight for racial justice did not end there.

Vincent, a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, also led efforts for reparatory justice in Rhode Island. His advocacy played a key role in the City of Providence’s establishment of a national reparations commission in 2022—the first of its kind in the country. This initiative followed a comprehensive study documenting a century of social and economic oppression faced by Black communities and other marginalized groups.

In this interview, journalist Bankole Thompson speaks with Rhode Island’s most outspoken civil rights leader about the challenges facing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the implications of a second Trump presidency, and the ongoing pursuit of reparatory justice in America.