About Us

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded on February 12, 1909 by a multiracial group of activists who answered "The Call," in New York, NY.  They initially called themselves the National Negro Committee.  Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, and William English Walling led this "Call" for civil and political liberty.  Thus begins the NAACP legacy of addressing social and economic injustice through the collective courage of people of all races, nationalities and faiths — united on one premise — that all men and women are created equal.

As the nation's oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP and its grass-roots membership have not only persevered but changed America's history. We are represented in 49 states, five countries and the District of Columbia — there are three branches in Maine: Portland, Bangor, and Maine State Prison.

Established in 1964, the Portland Branch is currently in its fifth decade of continuous leadership, service and advocacy. We remain committed to our civil rights roots and to advancing a universal "call" for human rights, peace, and justice.