NAACP's Khyla D. Craine Named as One of National Bar Association's "Top 40 Under 40 Advocates"

Khyla D. Craine

June 16, 2016

BALTIMORE – NAACP Assistant General Counsel Khyla D. Craine has been chosen as a recipient of the National Bar Association’s (NBA) “Top 40 Under 40 Advocates,” an annual award recognizing the nation’s top young lawyers who exemplify a broad range of high achievement in the legal field, including social advocacy, innovation, vision, leadership and overall legal and community involvement.

“Khyla truly exemplifies the diligence, expertise, and work ethic needed to achieve the goals and socially-conscious endeavors of the NAACP,” said Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President and CEO. “As President of the NAACP college chapter at South Carolina State, youth representative on the NAACP National Youth Works Committee and as a 2011 NAACP Kellogg Law Fellow, her long and passionate commitment to the NAACP and civil rights advocacy is an invaluable asset to the Association. We are proud of this recognition of her outstanding work and appreciate the hope and enthusiasm she embodies as a member of the next generation of civil rights leaders.”   

“Khyla is a superstar civil rights lawyer whose commitment to the cause of equality is obvious to everyone who works with her,” said Bradford Berry, NAACP General Counsel. “She is a tremendous asset to the NAACP Legal Department and is entirely deserving of this high honor.”

As an attorney and activist, Khyla seizes every opportunity to engage her peers and advocate for youth involvement in civil rights and the NAACP.  A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Khyla is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and South Carolina State University.  As an undergraduate student at South Carolina State University, she was known for being politically and socially active and for encouraging her fellow students to be engaged citizens.  While at Howard Law, Khyla focused on civil rights and non-profit work while interning with the U.S. Department of Justice–Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

In May 2014, Khyla delivered the keynote address at The Maryland State Bar Association and the Citizenship-Law Related Education Program’s annual Law Day conference – an event aimed at bringing students from across the state together to educate and inspire them in participating in the democratic process.  Additionally, she has taken part in events sponsored by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Howard University School of Law, and the National Bar Association – for which she also currently is Chair-Elect of the Young Lawyers’ Division (NBA YLD). 

As counsel in the NAACP’s legal department, she travels across the nation as a guest speaker and panelist on a wide range of socially-conscious topics, including voting rights, criminal justice, police brutality, community participation and engagement, and Stand Your Ground Laws.

Recipients of the National Bar Association’s 40 Under 40 Awards will be honored at a special celebration on July 18 during the association’s 91st Annual Convention in St. Louis, MO. 

###

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas here.