NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the United States. It was organized in 1909 by a coalition of blacks, Jews, and whites to defend the rights of minorities against systematic and pervasive social and state-sanctioned discrimination. It was formed as a grassroots membership organization, whose activities focus on challenging discriminatory practices through legal channels and the mobilization of member participation at times when mass political action is strategically necessary to accomplish its goals.