Mission

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

History of the NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed on February 12, 1909 by W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Archibald Grimké, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villard, William English Walling, andFlorence Kelley. Since its inception, the NAACP has fought for the rights of the disenfranchised through grass roots organization, political action and judicial relief.

As the nation's oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP has forever changed American history and the discourse of equality. With thousands of local branches and hundreds of thousands of members, the NAACP continues to triumph over hostility, intimidation, violence and all levels of antagonism to ensure the most basic premise of the United States Constitution that all men and women are equal.

Over the years, the NAACP has attracted over 20,000,000 members in its 101-year history.  Today, there are approximately 2,200 adult branches and 1,700 youth and college chapters with hundreds of thousands of members.

The Columbus, Ohio branch of the NAACP was organized on February 18, 1915 in the Spring Street Branch of the YMCA. One of the organization's first actions was to lobby in support of the Beatty Civil Rights Bill.  Later the organization revised its mission to maintain a vital and permanent presence in the Columbus Community.

Current Activity

The motto of the Columbus, Ohio branch of the NAACP, under the current administration is, "Education is our passion". This means education is included in every program and activity pursued. Annually the Columbus, Ohio branch has a Civil Rights Celebration that celebrates the accomplishments of past and present civil rights leaders who have worked to advance the civil rights of all Ohioans. Additionally, each August the Columbus, Ohio branch holds its Back to School/Stay in School program that enrich the lives of families with school aged children with resources for a successful school year.

The Columbus, Ohio branch is involved in the pursuit of "Safe Communities" and employment opportunites for minorities, women and the disadvantaged. The Columbus, Ohio branch is the Diversity Administrators for Penn National Gaming ensuring that MBEs, WBEs and EDGE certified companies have project opportunites.  The Columbus, Ohio branch has an active Court Watch and Legal Redress program.  The Columbus branch is located at 233 South High Street suite 207 (43215).

Leadership and Committees

Click here to view information on the Columbus NAACP Executive Committee.

Click here to view information on the Columbus NAACP Committees and Sub-committees.