Our History

OUR FOUNDERS

In 1908, a deadly race riot rocked the city of Springfield, eruptions of anti-black violence – particularly lynching – were horrifically commonplace, but the Springfield riot was the final tipping point that led to the creation of the NAACP. Appalled at this rampant violence, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard (both the descendants of famous abolitionists), William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American (including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell), signed the call, which was released on the centennial of Lincoln's birth.

Our History

On February 12, 1909, the nation's largest and most widely recognized civil rights organization was born.

NAACP IS LEADING THE FIGHT FOR EQUITY.

From police brutality to COVID-19 to voter suppression, black communities are under attack. We work to disrupt inequality, dismantle racism, and accelerate change in key areas including criminal justice, health care, education, climate, and the economy. When it comes to civil rights and social justice, we have the unique ability to secure more wins than anyone else. Help make racial equity a reality.

I can't breathe-image
30%
Likelihood of a black person to be stopped without just cause than a white person.

Each and every NAACP member makes a difference to the complex, ongoing work of advancing racial equity. We have driven the hardest-fought wins for civil rights and social justice — with you by our side, we can accelerate the next milestones for Black Americans.

Join this multigenerational network of activists dismantling structural racism by using your power to take action on the most pressing issues of our time.

WE TACKLE TODAY’S TOUGHEST CHALLENGES

EMPOWER COMMUNITIES. EMPOWER CHANGE.