Founders
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded on February 12th, 1909 as the oldest and boldest civil rights organization. Following the deadly Springfield race riots of 1908, many founders came together to start the NAACP to combat racial injustices and anti-black crimes. Of these founders, several were white liberals including Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard. Other early members included W. E. B. Du Bois, Jane Addams, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Ray Stannard Baker.
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Strides for the Greater Good
The first goal for the organization was securing the rights stated in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. These Amendments promised to end slavery, citizenship and equal legal rights to those that were emancipated, and the elimination of racial discrimination concerning voting eligibility, respectively. Also, the NAACP has been active in fighting for many prominent legal cases and passing certain laws. Examples include Moore vs. Dempsey (1923), Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), NAACP vs. Alabama (1958), The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. NAACP's initiatives for the 21st Century can be summarized by its six "Game Changers": economic stability, education, health, public safety and criminal justice, voting rights and political representation.