Blazing Trails for Civil Rights
Founded on Feb. 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s largest and most widely recognized civil rights organization. It was formed in response to an epidemic of lynching and a 1908 race riot in Springfield, Ill. The organization’s 60 founders, among them W.E.B. DuBois, answered the call of white liberals to discuss racial justice and to counter the violence. The NAACP’s declared goal was to secure for blacks the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, ensure equal protection of the law and achieve universal adult male suffrage. Today, in addition to its advocacy of civil rights, the organization focuses on economic injustice, education, health care, voter empowerment and the criminal justice system. The NAACP counts more than 500,000 members, 100 employees and an annual budget of $29 million. Its national office is in Baltimore.
