The NAACP Turns 100

On February 12, 2009, the NAACP began marking its 100th anniversary. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has been one of most influential civil rights organizations in United States history over the past century. It is dedicated to ensuring “political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights” for everyone, especially people of color, and to eliminating “racial hatred and racial discrimination.” The NAACP will host celebrations and observances throughout its centennial year to highlight the organization’s significant contributions to the promotion of justice and social equality in America.

The dedicated workers, organizers, and leaders who forged the NAACP and those who help maintain its status as a champion of social justice have shared a commitment to ensuring that the voices of African Americans are heard—from the ballot box to the courtroom to the classroom. Over the history of the NAACP, the talents and determination of its membership have helped change many negative aspects of American society. Whether as advocates for civil rights in their communities and in the courts, leaders of voter registration drives, or monitors of equal opportunity in the public and private sectors, they have enriched African American history.

The NAACP was founded in 1909 by a diverse group including both blacks and whites: W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Archibald Grimké, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villard, and William English Walling (who was the last son of a former slaveholding family). The nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and has 1,700 chapters nationwide and a membership that extends throughout the world.

Related Links

  • About the NAACP
    Learn about the NAACP’s storied history, basic mission, leadership, programs to address economic concerns of African American consumers, legal projects, youth activism, and much more.
    (Source: NAACP)
  • NAACP’s 100th Anniversary
    This Web site, which includes a calendar of events and a time line of the organization, features a video clip of President Barack Obama congratulating the NAACP on its centennial.(Source: NAACP)
  • Civil Rights Pioneer Stamps
    View the new series of 42-cent postage stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service in honor of the achievements of key founders and organizational leaders of the NAACP.
    (Source: NAACP)
  • NAACP 100th Anniversary: Exploiting Color Instead of Erasing It
    This controversial reflection on the NAACP’s one-hundred-year history from The Independent Institute is critical of the organization’s recent direction, especially regarding the concept of “color-blind justice,” while lauding its heritage.
    (Source: The Independent Institute, February 12, 2009)

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