history

The **National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,** usually abbreviated as **NAACP**, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination". Its name, retained in accordance with tradition, uses the once common term //colored people.// The Race Riot of 1908 in Abraham Lincoln's hometown of Springfield, Illinois had highlighted the urgent need for an effective civil rights organization in the U.S. This event is often cited as the catalyst for the formation of the NAACP. Mary White Ovington journalist William English Walling and Henry Moskowitz met in New York City in January 1909 and the NAACP was born.[Solicitations for support went out to more than 60 prominent Americans, and a meeting date was set for February 12, 1909. This was intended to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, who emancipated enslaved African Americans. While the meeting did not take place until three months later, this date is often cited as the founding date of the organization

. An African American drinks out of a segregated water cooler designated for "colored" patrons in 1939 at a streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City.

Locals viewing the bomb-damaged home of Arthur Shores, NAACP attorney, Birmingham, Alabama on September 5, 1963. The bomb exploded on September 4th, the previous day, injuring Shores' wife.