Nsombi Lambright-Haynes
Executive Director
One Voice
As Executive Director of One Voice, a leadership development and policy advocacy organization based in Jackson, MS, Nsombi works to ensure historically silenced communities gain representation in spaces of power. Under her leadership, the organization has trained over 300 grassroots leaders through a nine-month institute focused on dismantling structural oppression within the education, voting, and criminal justice systems. This work culminated in the Black Action Agenda, a policy-driven “think tank” designed to address systemic issues across Mississippi.
Beyond advocacy, Nsombi has challenged systemic inequity through the legal system. As President of the Jackson Branch of the NAACP, she was a plaintiff in NAACP v. Reeves, a lawsuit contesting the establishment of a state-run police force in Jackson. While the legal challenge did not halt the force’s creation, the initiative successfully educated residents on their rights and established a system for documenting incidents of excessive force within the Capitol Police District.
Her extensive career is marked by numerous honors, including the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) and the Medgar Evers NAACP Award. A graduate of Tougaloo College and Jackson State University, she serves on multiple boards, including the Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative and Mississippi MOVE. Nsombi resides in Jackson with her husband, Joseph Christopher Haynes, and is the mother of an adult son, Julian.
