The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909. The founders of the organization included famed civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, journalists Ida B. Wells and Charles Edward Russel, and lawyer-diplomat Archibald Grimké.
The catalyst for the creation of the NAACP came from the Race Riot of 1908 in Springfield, IL. What made the riot so egregious for the NAACP's founders was that it was in the hometown of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator of slaves. The riots demonstrated to many in the country that there was a great need for the voices of African-Americans to be heard at the national level. A concerned group, including the founders, met in January 1909 in New York City and set the first official meeting of the NAACP to be on February 12, 1909 to commemorate of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. By 1914, the NAACP had established 50 branches with approximately 6,000 members. Today there are over 300,000 members with 2,000 branches and units throughout the nation
The NAACP has fought for many causes and issues, but two issues that have made the most lasting impact were fighting to change Jim Crow laws and championing desegregation. Among the early causes was the protesting of the film Birth of a Nation, a highly controversial film that depicted the Ku Klux Klan as noble defenders of white supremancy and that emancipation was a grave mistake. The NAACP had success in fighting disfranchisement by influencing the 1917 United States Supreme Court ruling in the Buchanan vs. Warley case. The court ruled that state and local governments cannot officially segregate African-Americans into separate residential districts.
The NAACP also fought against desegregation and legislation designed to promote separate but equal practices. Perhaps the most famous victory came in 1954 when NAACP lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall argued before the Supreme Court over racial injustice in Brown vs. Board of Education. The Court ruled unanimously that state-sponsored segregation of elementary schools was unconstitutional. After the ruling, the NAACP would continue its fight against inequality by organizing the bus boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Providence branch of the NAACP is one of the earliest branches having been formed between 1910 and 1911. The stated mission of the Providence branch is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of the rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. Among the most prominent members from the era of the collection include President Bernardino Delgado and Secretary Claire H. Read. Delgado worked tirelessly to advocate for African-Americans in Rhode Island in seeking housing, education and employment opportunities, while Read documented the organization's activities.
Collection is open for research by appointment. Materials do not circulate. Some materials may be restricted, for further information contact the Archives and Special Collections, Phillips Memorial Library, Providence College.
Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Phillips Memorial Library. Although Providence College has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Providence, Rhode Island Branch collection, Providence College, Phillips Memorial Library, Archives and Special Collections.
The bulk of collection documents the Providence branch of the NAACP from 1960s to the mid 1970s. The collection includes official correspondence, personal correspondence, inter-office, regional, and national memorandum. Additional materials include meeting minutes and recaps, newspaper and media clippings, pamphlets, miscellaneous documents, and materials relating the organization's regional and national conventions.
This collection is arranged chronological by year and alphabetical within each year.
The papers of the Providence branch of the NAACP were donated with the organization's approval by Claire H. Read, the secretary of the Providence branch, to Providence College in September of 1973.
No materials have been removed from this collection.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memorandum and other documents pertaining to the Providence Branch of the NAACP from 1916 to 1965. The majority of the documents are from 1962-1965. Highlights of this series include documents for the organization's New England Regional Conferences and the Rhode Island branch's 45th anniversary.
This series is arranged alphabetically.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memorandum and other documents pertaining to the Providence Branch of the NAACP from 1966 to 1969. Additional materials include documents for the organization's New England Regional Conferences.
This series is arranged alphabetically.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memorandum and other documents pertaining to the Providence Branch of the NAACP from 1970 to 1971. Additional materials include documents for the organization's New England Regional Conferences.
This series is arranged alphabetically.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memorandum and other documents pertaining to the Providence Branch of the NAACP from 1972. Additional materials include documents for the organization's New England Regional Conferences.
This series is arranged alphabetically.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memorandum and other documents pertaining to the Providence Branch of the NAACP from 1973. Among the highlights include documents that showcase the NAACP's commitment to providing quality housing and employment to Rhode Island's African Americans. Documents for education are highlighted in the documents pertaining to HUD Project Status and Control Report.
This series is arranged alphabetically.
This series is comprised of correspondence, memorandum and other documents pertaining to the Providence Branch of the NAACP from 1974. Among the highlights include documents that showcase the NAACP's commitment to providing quality housing, employment and education for Rhode Island's African Americans. Documents for education are highlighted in the documents pertaining to Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA).
This series is arranged alphabetically.
This series is comprised of issues of The Crisis, the periodical published by the NAACP. The Crisis was first published in 1910 by W.E.B DuBois, a year after the founding of the NAACP.
The Crisis primarily reported on issues concerning African Americans including civil rights, economic opportunities and advancement for the NAACP. Many articles also highlight the work of prominent African Americans and supporters of the NAACP.
This an incomplete run of the serial as there are numerous gaps to the collection. The run spans from 1946 to 1975. Of particular interest is a photocopy of an early July 1914 issue.
This series is arranged chronologically.