Witchy Woman

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded today in 1909, a century after the birth of Abraham Lincoln.  A group of white liberals horrified by the violence against blacks, particularly after a race riot the previous year in Springfield, IL, issued a call for a meeting to discuss civil rights.  60 people answered the call, including Ida Wells-Barnett and W.E.B. Du Bois.

They began a campaign against lynching, promoted voting rights, and economic parity.  Thirty years later, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund was established as the legal branch to challenge segregation in both schools and public transit.  Over the years, the goals of the NAACP have expanded to encompass the growth and needs of African Americans as disparity continues in employment, housing, health care, education, voting, and the legal system.