In January 2015, Adrienne L. D’Souza was  handed the same proverbial torch her late father carried for nearly two decades.

The Ross County unit of the NAACP recently elected D’Souza as its next president, continuing her family’s legacy of leadership in the organization. Her father, Robert Robinson Sr., led the county unit for 19 years.

Robinson’s successor, the Rev. Olie Burton, has decided to step down after six years at the helm. Burton has been grooming D’Souza for the job, just as her father did for him.

“Rev. Burton is a very busy man, and he didn’t intend to serve for as long as he did,” said D’Souza, who manages the Northside Branch of the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library.

At 50, D’Souza is actually one of the youngest active members of the Ross County NAACP, a fact that underscores one of the greatest challenges facing an organization she said can no longer “rest on the laurels” of its older members.

Article by:  Chillicothe Gazette, David Berman