The National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP) In The Post-civil Rights Era

Over the several centuries’ history of the United States,race has always been the most controversial issue.African Americans and other ethnic minorities have suffered with racial discrimination and injustice since the foundation of the country.In order to achieve racial equality and eliminate injustice,numerous non-governmental organizations have been founded and developed,and there has been a variety of ideologies and strategies of these organizations.The thesis studies the oldest civil rights organization in the United States,the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP),and looks into its history since 1965.Founded in 1909,the NAACP has large membership,nationwide structure and great influence in America.It has helped defeated apartheid by constant litigations and greatly contributed to the civil rights movement.However,in the post-Civil Rights Era,a time period in the United States since Congressional passage of equal-rights legislations for racial minorities in the mid-1960 s,racism has remained a serious issue in American society,leaving African Americans with a relatively low socioeconomic status.Facing the changing racial relation in American society,especially racial attitudes influenced by a colorblind discourse,the NAACP has continued the pursuit of racial integration central to its organizational ideology while adjusting its focus of agendas in different time periods.From the late 1960 s to the 1970 s,the NAACP continued to promote racial integration in education and eliminate apartheid by filing litigations,but faced challenges from white backlash.In the 1980 s and 1990 s,the NAACP adopted measures such as lobbying,voter registration campaigns,and election campaigns to fight against opposition to civil rights policies from the Reagan government under a conservative trend.It also established economic programs to help black groups escape poverty and improve their economic status.In the 21 st century,the NAACP has launched attacks on “color-blind” racial discrimination and other more subtle forms of institutionalized racial discrimination.It has proceeded to make unremitting efforts in many fields to eliminate racial discrimination and fight for equal rights of African Americans.