Aaron Henry (July 2, 1922 – May 19, 1997) was an American civil rights leader, politician, and head of the Mississippi branch of the NAACP.

After graduating from high school, Henry worked as a night clerk at a motel to earn money for college, but ended up enlisting in the Army.

Three years in the army taught him that racial discrimination and segregation were common, many instances of which he described to Robert Penn Warren; these were used in his book Who Speaks for the Negro?.

When he returned to Clarksdale in 1946, a Progressive Voters' League had been formed to work to implement the 1944 Supreme Court decision abolishing white primaries.

This had been a barrier to voter registration and voting by Blacks, who were often cash poor and found it hard to pay such fees.

Bill, a law that provided educational benefits for World War II veterans, to enroll in the pharmacy school at Xavier University.

Howard, a prominent black surgeon, fraternal organization leader, and entrepreneur in the all-black town of Mound Bayou, Mississippi.

It sought to “reach the masses through their chosen leaders” by harnessing the talents of blacks with proven records in business, the professions, education, and the church.

Other key members of the RCNL included Amzie Moore, an NAACP activist and gas station owner from Cleveland, Mississippi and Medgar Evers, who sold insurance for Dr. Howard in Mound Bayou.

In one noted incident, the police chained him to the rear of a city garbage truck and led him through the streets of Clarksdale to jail.

In 1961 he organized a boycott of stores in the Clarksdale, Mississippi area that discriminated against African Americans both as customers and employees.

Blacks justifiably suspected the motives of those who brought charges, and they also recognized Henry's skill and ability as a proven leader.

While Henry served as president of COFO in 1962, he made an effort to organize the Freedom Vote, which was the mock participation in the state gubernatorial election in November 1963.

At that time, Joe Lieberman, who was an editor of the Yale Daily News, was in Mississippi to work on a series of reports on the activities and programs of SNCC.

With their participation, the Freedom Vote Campaign gained enough awareness and was reported in a newspaper, The Free Press, by Bill Minor and R. L. T. Smith.

Although there were incidents where several voters were arrested, the campaign finished as a great success in demonstrating the willingness of African Americans to vote; more than eighty thousand people participated.

Senator James Eastland, a longtime Mississippi incumbent who had historically opposed civil rights measures, approached Henry and asked if he, as state NAACP chairman, would help him in his reelection bid the following year.