NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)[lower-alpha 1] is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey, and Ida B. Wells.[4][5] Over the years, leaders of the organization have included Thurgood Marshall and Roy Wilkins.

Quick facts: Abbreviation, Formation, Founders, Tax ID no.... ▼

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Abbreviation	NAACP
Formation	February 12, 1909; 114 years ago (1909-02-12)
Founders	W.E.B. Du Bois Mary White Ovington Moorfield Storey Ida B. Wells
Tax ID no.	38-4108034
Legal status	501(c)(4) Civic Leagues and Social Welfare Organizations
Purpose	"To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination."
Headquarters	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Membership	300,000[1]
Chairman	Leon W. Russell
President and CEO	Derrick Johnson
Main organ	Board of directors
Budget	$24,800,000 (2019)[2]
Website	naacp.org

Its mission in the 21st century is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination". National NAACP initiatives include political lobbying, publicity efforts, and litigation strategies developed by its legal team.[6] The group enlarged its mission in the late 20th century by considering issues such as police misconduct, the status of black foreign refugees and questions of economic development.[7] Its name, retained in accordance with tradition, uses the once common term colored people, referring to those with some African ancestry.[8]

The NAACP bestows annual awards on African Americans in three categories: Image Awards are for achievements in the arts and media, Theatre Awards are for achievements in theatre and stage, and Spingarn Medals are for outstanding achievements of any kind. Its headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland.[9] On June 29, 2020, WTOP-FM, a Washington, D.C. news radio station, reported that the NAACP intended to relocate its national headquarters from its longtime home in Baltimore to the Franklin D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs, a building owned by the District of Columbia,[10] located at U and 14th Streets in Northwest Washington, D.C.[11] Derrick Johnson, the NAACP's president and CEO, emphasized that the organization will be better able to engage in and influence change in D.C. than in Baltimore.[12]