NAACP History

  • National NAACP History

    “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.”

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  • Texas NAACP State Conference History

    Consistently organizing and financing landmark civil-rights lawsuits, the Texas NAACP became an important component of the national organization. The state's first chapter, established in El Paso in 1915, was joined by four new branches in 1918.

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  • NAACP Houston History

    As the nation’s largest and most prominent civil rights organization, the NAACP’s role is just as important today as the day it was founded. From the dark days of the Camp Logan riots in 1917, the NAACP Houston Branch has been fighting for civil rights and social justice. It took many years, but the relentless work of the NAACP did finally free the unjustly imprisoned soldiers. Some soldiers served as many as 20 years before their release, the NAACP Houston Branch never gave up the fight to free them.

    In the 1940s, our branch of the NAACP, along with the masterful Thurgood Marshall from the national office, fought to overturn the exclusion of Blacks from voting in the Democratic Primary in Harris County. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where the white primary was outlawed. The essence of that fight is not lost on us. Voting is one of the most important ways that we can influence the direction of our community and country.

    For more than 100 years, the NAACP Houston Branch has been an important part of this community and the lives of many. The next 100 years will prove to be just as critical as a new generation of leaders take the rein to bring this organization even higher while helping to develop future generations of civil rights leaders.

NAACP Purpose

Mission Statement

Our mission is to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.

Vision Statement

We envision an inclusive community rooted in liberation where all persons can exercise their civil and human rights without discrimination.

Strategic Initiatives

We're tackling the issues that impact US!

  • Structural discrimination and unjust policing, prosecution, and incarceration practices unfairly impact Black communities. Building a just system urgently demands reform.

  • For people of color, geography, income, and race are longstanding predictors of health outcomes. The roots of historic inequity run deep in fragmented public and private health systems and disadvantaged opportunities across the lifespan.

  • Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, systematically impacts communities of color and low-income communities in the U.S. and around the world.

  • Economic equity is crucial to racial equity. An inclusive economy means everyone can contribute and earn with fair access to resources and opportunity.

  • We advocate for equitable local, state, and federal policies that establish education standards, allocate resources, and set priorities for education and workforce systems.

  • Young people and the movement for civil rights have always been closely connected. That legacy continues today. Listening to and embracing the thought leadership of our young people is crucial to our commitment to lasting social and political change.