The NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, in New York City by a multiracial group of activists, who answered the call in response to increasing violence against black people in all parts of the country. Few Americans today understand that in the early years of the twentieth century in America, black citizens did not enjoy the assurance of police protection from physical assault or mob violence.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a non-profit organization established with the objective of insuring the political, educational, social, and economic equality of minority groups. The NAACP has as its mission the goal of eliminating race prejudice and removing all barriers of racial discrimination through advocacy, the electoral process, lobbying, litigation, organization, and protest.