Master of Ceremony Mike Hemminger

Michael Hemminger is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Government He moved to Virginia in 2016 and currently serves as the President of the NAACP Arlington Branch He has previously served as the 3rd Vice President of the local branch of the NAACP and is a member of the criminal justice committee. He played a leading role in calling for oversight at the county’s jail due to the alarming rates that Black men are dying while at the jail. Mike was also selected to participate in the class of 2023 Leadership for Arlington, Virginia

Michael is a community organizer who is passionate about making a difference every day Prior to purchasing his first home, he was a member of the Columbia Heights Civic Association for years and served as the appointed member of the Form-Based Code Advisory Committee He also participates in the Civic Federation as a delegate from the NAACP and is also a member of the Legislation Committee and the Civil Rights Working Group

Michael led the way on a Civil Rights report for Arlington County by calling attention to many of the systemic disparities within his community. Motivated by his belief that mass incarceration is the greatest civil rights injustice of our era, he has spent all of 2020 as a member of Arlington County’s Legal Working Group. As part of the 2022 Restorative Justice - Safety Advisory Team, the group developed strategic policies and practices to implement Restorative Justice, which is an alternative to the harmful criminal justice system we know today

Michael was a precinct captain in one of Arlington’s few historically Black neighborhoods and has served on the 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee of Virginia in his capacity as a member of the National Committee for the Virginia Young Democrats

Michael is also a nationally appointed officer serving on the rules committee for the Young Democrats of America (YDA) organization. Michael is a founding member of the Black Leaders of Arlington, a group focused on championing local issues in the Black Community.

In 2020, Michael became a Housing Commissioner in Arlington County, and most recently, Michael is a graduate of the 2021 Arlington Neighborhood College whose main focus is community leadership, building unity, and action planning

Despite Michael's broad commitments to the community, it’s not uncommon to hear him relentlessly advocating for fairer housing practices, more inclusive land and zoning use, and more affordable units on the Housing Commission Michael is a member of the Housing Commission Homeownership Sub-Committee and co-chairs the subcommittee for the Status of Aging Properties in Arlington. In 2022, Michael was elected as Deputy Chair for the Arlington County Democrats.

Above all, Michael sees these opportunities for civic engagement as a privilege and a platform to lift all voices and build a community that is truly more inclusive and equitable for all Michael is deeply devoted to his community and uses every spare minute of his time to make life better for his fellow community members