George Holmes has served as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of CORE since 1988 and as the Director of CORE’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration since its inception in 1984.

Mr. Holmes was born in Boston’s Roxbury section and was raised in Harlem, New York. He attended John S. Roberts J.H.S. and Brooklyn Technical H.S. where he received an academic diploma. In 1997, he was awarded a "Doctor of Letters" Degree in Humanities from St Stephens Educational College in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Holmes says he also attended one of the toughest schools in the country--U.C.L.A. (University on the Corner of Lenox Avenue) in Harlem, USA.

Mr. Holmes' civil rights activities began in the early 60s when he entered one of New York's elite High Schools--Brooklyn Tech. Holmes remembers what his guidance councilor said when she learned that he had passed the entrance exam with one of the highest marks in the city.  "She called my mother in and told her that she did not think it was wise for me to attend 'that school' because the best kind of job I could hope for was that of a porter or maintenance worker." Holmes said he was shocked by her advice and that made him more determined than ever to excel--which he did. "When I got to Brooklyn Tech" he recalls, they had clubs and study groups for almost every ethnic group except Blacks. Disturbed by this fact, Holmes founded SONAC--the Society of Negro American Culture--at Brooklyn Tech and served as its first President. The most difficult thing I had to overcome in getting the club officially recognized was finding a faculty advisor as required by the school. At that time, Holmes says there were only 47 blacks in the entire student body of more than 4,000 and no black teachers.

After graduating, Holmes became active in many community organizations in Harlem. He would accompany his mother to meetings at Adam Clayton Powel, Jr's political club and assisted in voter registration and petition drives during election time. As a young activist growing up in the 60s, he took part in several protests and demonstrations and briefly flirted with becoming a Black Panther before joining CORE in 1974.

Mr. Holmes held a number of positions with public and private organizations including R.H. Macy’s, The Bank of New York and the U.S. Postal Service before joining the staff of CORE. Working in the fund raising department, he quickly elevated himself to Manager of that Department and soon became involved in CORE’s political activities. By 1978, Mr. Holmes had become a member of CORE’s senior management team and "aide de camp" to the National Chairman, Roy Innis.

During the early ‘80's, Mr. Holmes served in many capacities at the National Headquarters of CORE including: Director of Chapter Development, Operations Manager and Director of Public Relations. At the 1987 CORE Convention, he was elected to the National Board of Directors of CORE and currently serves as Treasurer and Secretary.

In 1985, in response to Congress passing a bill that created a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holmes established CORE's annual "Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Celebration, Ambassadorial Reception and Awards Dinner." Today this event is one of the largest in the country held in observance of the King National Holiday. Over the years many noted celebrities have attended such as: Nobel Peace Prize Winners, Elie Wiezel, and Norman Borlaug; corporate giants such as Turner Broadcasting Co. founder & Chairman Ted Turner and AT&T Chairman, Michael Armstrong; Music and Film superstars: Janet Jackson, Clive Davis, Patti LaBelle, Barry Manilow, Michael Bolton; Usher; Morgan Freeman, Robert DiNero, James Earl Jones, Oliver Stone and Martin Scorcese; World Champion Athletes: Muhammad Ali, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Evander Holifield, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Carl Lewis. Political figures such as Secretary of State, James Baker, Governors, Doug Wilder (VA), Tom Kean (NJ) and Haley Barbour (MS), several cabinet secretaries, UN Ambassadors and First Lady Laura Bush, have all participated in the event.

In 1987, Mr. Holmes took on a new challenge at CORE--developing and directing CORE’s Immigration Counseling Services. Under his leadership, CORE quickly became the lead agency in the Northeast part of the country--assisting more than 20,000 immigrants in obtaining amnesty under the new immigration laws. For this effort, Mr. Holmes received the Statue of Liberty Award from the U.S. Department of Justice and became one of the country’s leading experts and advocates for the rights of undocumented immigrants.

In 1995 Holmes organized CORE's first "Harmony Awards Dinner" to recognize un-sung heroes who have made significant contributions in the struggle for equal opportunity and racial harmony. President George W. Bush leads a long list of VIPs who have delivered keynote speeches at this event.

In 1996 and again in 1997 he served as Coordinator of a delegation of influential Americans dispatched to observe and monitor free elections in Nigeria, Africa--the largest Black country in the world.  Following the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack on America, Holmes organized CORE's emergency response team to assist victims of the World Trade Center collapse. Through his efforts, CORE was asked to join the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Federal, State and City Agencies in providing services to the victims out of the official Pier 94 Disaster Relief Center established by FEMA. CORE was one of only a handful of non-governmental agencies asked to serve in this official capacity.  In February, 2003, Holmes was part of a CORE delegation sent to Liberia to assess that country’s needs.

In 2003, Holmes was chosen to represent CORE on the Brown vs. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission responsible for organizing and coordinating events being held to commemorate that historical 1954 Supreme Court decision.

In January 2003, Holmes was profiled on the WB Network News Channel as an "Unsung Hero".

He current serves on several community boards and coalitions including the New York Support Group for the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  He has received numerous honors for his civil rights activities and is a frequent guest on national television and radio talk shows