These are perilous times, so I'm more sober today than celebratory given the challenges ahead. But I am fully mindful of how thankful I am to lead @NAACP_LDF and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our amazing staff, which is an honor & joy every day. #2019 
#2019, for all its challenges was sweetened for me with so many special moments & experiences that inspired and lifted me. I remain determined and hopeful b/c these moments kept me encouraged, strong & joyful. Here are a few:
What an honor to start the yr sharing the MLK Day lecture w/ the great @RevDrBarber in Chicago last Jan.. But even more special was the moment of comfort we shared backstage discussing our grief. We had each lost a sibling. I did not know at the time that I would lose another.
What an inspiration it was to have the amazing young people from @TeensTakeCharge visit @NAACP_LDF ‘s office in #2019. Lifted me all the way up! A bright & fiercely determined group of activists demanding quality, integrated education in NYC. We are so honored to represent them.
I was in conversation w/extraordinary thinkers & artists in #2019. Each deepened my understanding abt the challenges we face. Two of my favorites were the #BealeStreet talkback w/ the great @BarryJenkins & a “dream come true” evening w/#TaNehisiCoates & #ChimamandaNgoziAdichie
@BarryJenkins There are no words to describe what it meant to @NAACP_LDF & to me personally to honor a true American hero at our #2019 D.C. luncheon commemorating the 65th anniversary of #BrownvBd in May. We can never repay the courage & sacrifice of Ms. #ElizabethEckford. #LittleRock9
In the summer of #2019 I was inducted as an Honorary Member of the @DeltaSigmaTheta sorority, one of the most influential & important women’s civic organizations in the country. It was an extraordinary honor & beautiful experience. Remember @AprilDRyan & @AndraDayMusic?
It was unreal that the incomparable @IAmCicelyTyson accepted @NAACP_LDF ‘s Natl Equal Justice Award on behalf of HarryBelafonte & that @Lupita_Nyongo introduced our honoree #NinaShaw. But this moment betw these brilliant & barrier-breaking actresses lifted my spirit! #2019
So #2019 caught me by surprise a few times. When I started writing about reparations and lynching in 2003, I would not have guessed that in #2019 I’d attend both a congressional hearing on reparations headlined by #TaNehisiCoates AND the first hearing of MD’s Lynching Commn.
@NAACP_LDF ‘s Lit. Dir @SamSpital represented #AlbertWoodfox, one of the most brilliant, committed, extraordinary human beings I have ever met. He visited us in #2019 to talk w/our board abt his experiences in Angola Prison. This talk was so moving. Read his memoir #Solitary.
.@MuirWoodsNPS is a place like no other. When I’m most overwhelmed this place reminds of my smallness, the immenseness of time, the power of quiet, & the awesomeness of nature. Once a yr I try to visit for a day. Protect our National Parks. Natural therapy.
I am never shy about lifting up @NAACP_LDF ‘s work. I admit the challenges, and I lift up the wins. They are a testament to our hard work, commitment and strategy. And in #2019, we’ve a run of wins - 19 in all - worthy of attention. Check them out. #19in19
Whew! Giving the talk for Class V and signing “the book” at my induction into the @americanacad this fall. A breathtaking honor.
In #2019 we learned that on January 30th 2020, the @USPS will issue the #GwenIfill forever stamp. I have no words to express what this means to our family & Gwen’s dear friends. A deserved honor for a great woman & a vindication for American journalism.
