NAACP

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    1909

    The NAACP is founded by a group of black and white activists, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary White Ovington.
  • 1915

    The film "The Birth of a Nation" is released, portraying the Ku Klux Klan as heroic and black people as unintelligent and sexually aggressive. The NAACP protests the film and helps to create public awareness about its racist content.
  • 1917

    The NAACP organizes a silent march in New York City to protest violence against black people. An estimated 10,000 people participate.
  • 1935

    The NAACP successfully challenges the "separate but equal" doctrine in the landmark case Murray v. Pearson, which allows black students to attend the University of Maryland Law School.
  • 1954

    The NAACP wins a major victory in Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
  • 1963

    NAACP leader Medgar Evers is assassinated in Mississippi. His death galvanizes the civil rights movement.
  • 1964

    The Civil Rights Act is passed, which outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • 1965

    The Voting Rights Act is passed, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting.
  • 1978

    The NAACP wins a case before the Supreme Court, in which it is ruled that affirmative action is constitutional.
  • 2008

    The NAACP supports Barack Obama in his bid for the presidency, and he becomes the first black president of the United States.
  • 2020

    The NAACP is involved in protests and advocacy efforts in response to police brutality and systemic racism, including the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.