LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HONORS NAACP CENTENNIAL

Launch of New Online Exhibition and Symposium Will Feature Nearly 70 Heirlooms from NAACP History

On February 3, 2010, the Library of Congress will launch a new online exhibition honoring the NAACP in commemoration of Black History Month.

The online collection will feature nearly 70 treasures from the storied history of the NAACP, including the "Call”, Oswald Garrison Villard’s manifesto that launched the NAACP; the organization’s constitution and bylaws; photos of key events such as the New York Silent Protest of 1917, the Marian Anderson concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 and Rosa Parks’ 1955 arrest; documents about investigations of lynchings; President Harry Truman’s executive orders barring discrimination in the federal government and military; the Supreme Court decisions on discrimination; the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and background on seminal figures in the NAACP. The online exhibition will expand to eventually feature roughly 150 items.

“I am very pleased that the Library of Congress is launching the online exhibit highlighting the rich 100 year history of the Association in recognition of the NAACP Centennial,” stated Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP. “For more than a century, courageous men, women and children have dedicated and in some cases given their lives in the fight for freedom, justice and equality for all. Now their stories, sacrifices and the rich legacy of the oldest and largest Civil Rights organization can be told to generations to come, and I am deeply honored that the Library of Congress has immortalized the stories of these great freedom fighters.”

In addition to the exhibition, the Library is planning a half day symposium in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP on February 26 to coincide with Black History Month. Centennial events will include a keynote address, VIP breakfast, symposium of presentations and reflections on the NAACP during the 20th century, and launch of the expansive on-line presentation of the collection.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

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