Shevann Steuben made history at 26 years old as the youngest person to serve as the first Vice President of the NAACP Houston chapter.
But if you ask her, this moment isn’t about a title—it’s about continuing the work she’s been doing since she was a teenager: holding power accountable and creating space for those who often go unheard.
“I’ve always believed that activism starts with asking the hard questions,” Steuben said. “Even if you’re the youngest person in the room.”
Before stepping into her leadership role with the NAACP Houston, Steuben’s journey began in San Francisco, where she was raised in a culturally rich but socially unequal environment. In high school, she started noticing the disconnect between how institutions discussed diversity and how they practiced it.
Her private school had all the correct language on paper, but the implementation of inclusivity fell on the students. That’s when Steuben first learned the power of organizing and demanding change.
“One of the biggest proponents of my journey has been the first-generation college student,” she says, acknowledging the support she received from programs like First Graduate, which “followed me from the age of 11 until I graduated from college.” She recalls her first leadership award at age 11, saying, “I really just think they were trying to call me bossy.”
That passion followed her to Baylor University (Class ‘20), where she quickly realized how wealth and privilege shaped campus culture. She didn’t shy away—instead, she leaned in, joining the Baylor chapter of the NAACP and immediately setting her sights on becoming its president.
“I tell people I chose Baylor by accident,” she admits. “I was actually a track and field recruit. And I tore my ACL on my meniscus when I was 17. And my world kind of came crashing down.”
Despite her initial plan to be a “regular student,” Steuben’s innate leadership skills quickly surfaced.
“For the first month, I was already in the leadership position,” she says. “I remember sitting in my very first NAACP meeting and thinking, ‘I’m going to lead this chapter one day.’”
And she did—serving not one, but two terms as chapter president during her junior and senior years. But the path to leadership wasn’t handed to her. She became Political Action Chair in her sophomore year and began organizing her first solo event, most notably, a powerful Police Brutality Live Museum that made waves on campus.
That same year, she attended a formal dinner with Baylor’s Board of Regents, seated next to top university decision-makers. Rather than stay silent, Steuben posed a bold question: “Why must Baylor students identify as Christian to be Line Camp leaders and student leaders?” The table went quiet, but Steuben stood firm.
“If I were going to get this education,” she said, “I was going to use it to challenge the system and advocate for students who felt pushed to the margins.”
Her activism soon expanded beyond campus. By her junior year, Steuben was appointed Treasurer of the Texas NAACP Youth and College Division for two terms, while still leading Baylor’s chapter. In 2019, she was elected president of the state division, amplifying her reach and becoming a force in statewide advocacy.
I didn’t get here by chance. I got here by asking questions no one else would ask, by showing up when it wasn’t easy, and by never losing sight of who I’m doing this for
Shevann Steuben, 1st Vice President, NAACP Houston Chapter
Now, as the first Vice President of the NAACP Houston Branch and a member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, Steuben is using every platform available to uplift Black communities. Her core issues, voting rights, redistricting, criminal justice reform and COVID-19 equity are grounded in personal experience.
“How do we get more young folks? We know that from I would say 20 to 40, there’s a huge gap when it comes to politics, policy, advocacy, organizing, whatever word folks prefer to use,” she says. “I tell people all the time, everybody belongs in this space because everything political is personal.”
Claude Cummings, a mentor and former 1st Vice President of the NAACP Houston Chapter, has played a crucial role in shaping her leadership journey.
“Over the years, I watched how she handled the young adult committee for the NAACP,” he says. “Whenever she was given some direction, she was one to volunteer and then also just do great work.”
Cummings says her passion is not so much about being in a leadership position as making sure that those she led are held to a good standard for the organization, not just herself.
“She’s very knowledgeable about the issues we’re having today,” Cummings said. “Whenever I have an opportunity to bring her on my radio show here in Houston, she makes herself available to come in and talk to those in her age group about the importance of being involved.”
When it comes to civically engaging young people, she doesn’t put them in a box but focuses on each person’s situation and their views.
“I think people [think] that Black folks are a monolith…so I try to make sure the conversation is particular to the individual,” she says. “Anytime I talk to somebody, I ask them What do you do? What are you interested in? What do you love? What do you care about? And that will differ.
“I have some young folks in my committee who are like, I care about jobs. This is not the economy; the economy is quitting jobs, but this is not the space that I wanna be in. And so what does it look like?”
Beyond advocacy, Steuben is a strategist and entrepreneur. She launched B RARE Consulting, a firm focused on political education, community engagement and equity-driven solutions. She’s also pursuing an MBA at Johns Hopkins University, complementing her background in Corporate Communications with business acumen that she hopes will strengthen her impact in both the nonprofit and public sectors.
“I don’t care how you advocate, just make it comprehensive. Make it meaningful,” she said. “I didn’t get here by chance. I got here by asking questions no one else would ask, showing up when it wasn’t easy and never losing sight of who I’m doing this for.”
