OUR HISTORY

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The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization that was established in 1909. The Durham Branch, which was founded on March 19, 1917, functions as a local branch and has been instrumental in the civil rights movement in Durham, North Carolina.

This branch was initiated by a collective of Black citizens who were deeply troubled by the discrimination and violence they encountered. In its early days, the branch aimed to promote racial equality, fight for voting rights, and enhance educational and economic opportunities for Black Americans.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization that was established in 1909. The Durham Branch, which was founded on March 19, 1917, functions as a local branch and has been instrumental in the civil rights movement in Durham, North Carolina.

The NAACP Durham Branch was created by a collective of Black citizens who were alarmed by the discrimination and violence they encountered. The initial objectives of the branch focused on fostering racial equality, championing voting rights, and enhancing educational and economic prospects for Black Americans.

In 1951, the NAACP Durham Branch filed a lawsuit challenging the segregation of Durham's public schools. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

In 1958, the NAACP Durham Branch launched a sit-in campaign to protest the segregation of lunch counters at local Woolworth's and Kress stores. The sit-ins were successful, and the stores eventually desegregated.

In 1960, the NAACP Durham Branch helped to organize the Durham Freedom Rides, a series of bus rides designed to challenge the segregation of interstate transportation facilities. The Freedom Rides were met with violence and intimidation, but they helped to raise awareness of the civil rights movement and led to the desegregation of interstate transportation.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the NAACP Durham Branch worked to improve the lives of Black Durham residents by providing social services and advocating for better housing and jobs. The chapter also worked to increase Black representation in government.