History of NAACP

Youth & College History

The NAACP Board of Directors passed a resolution creating the Youth and College Division in March of 1936.

The development of Youth Councils and College Chapters throughout the country is a great significance and gratification to the NAACP. The initiative and drive exhibited by the Youth Councils continues to grow. Their contributions to society continue to be substantial and evident locally as well as nationally.

Under the guidance of Ms. Juanita E. Jackson, Special Assistant to the Secretary, a National Youth Program was created for youth members of the NAACP. This program provided national activities for youth that were supported by monthly meeting discussing local needs of the community. The major national youth activities were demonstrations against lunching and seminars and group discussions on the inequalities in public education.

The first annual student conference of the NAACP was held at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, March 29-31, 1940. Fifty-three delegates registered from schools and colleges all over the United Stated.

In 1943, the Youth and College Division initiated the first “National Negro Youth Week” which was held from April 27th through May 3rd. The purpose was to focus the attention of the nation on the needs, aims, achievements, and aspirations of Negro youth throughout the country.

In 1960, the NAACP proudly saluted the sit-in demonstrations of its youth members in Greensboro, North Carolina, in their attempt to desegregate lunch counters.

In 1965, with the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the NAACP youth members registered over 350,000 voters. This campaign demonstrated the strength and determination of the Youth and College Division.

Today, there are over 500 Youth Councils and College Chapters actively involved in voter registration. The implementation of Youth Leadership Development, internships, and scholarship programs continue to be successful.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the NAACP Youth Division are:

• Inspire, motivate, and create interest in civic activities
• Provide understanding of issues pertinent to social conditions
• Advance the economic, education, social and political status of people of color
• Serve as the training ground for a new generation of American leaders

Highlights

The NAACP is a strong believer that Youth leadership development is vital. Youth leadership development is on going in the Youth and College Division, and through fund-raising efforts, NAACP youth learn in advance the importance of resources to support programs. Much of the Youth Units’ efforts are self-help oriented. It is this quality that is so important and is the essence of the civil rights struggle. The ability to be self-determined and in control of your own destiny is essential.

The NAACP hosts Regional Strategy Planning Retreats for youth and their advisors. Workshops are held during these retreats concentrating on youth leadership training, education, and art.

The NAACP has reached Europe, and it was there that over 200 young people attended their first European Conference held in Frankfurt, Germany.

Through the National Office’s Freedom Fund Campaign, NAACP Youth Units have forwarded more than 20,000 and are striving to contribute even more. Additional fundraising efforts by the National Youth and College Division have also proven to be successful.

NAACP Youth & College Division Today

Under the leadership of Brandon T. Neal, the NAACP believes strongly that future leaders must be developed today, and such development is ongoing in the Youth & College Division, created in 1936. Today there are more than 400 Youth Councils and College Chapters actively involved in voter registration.

The NAACP has one of the largest organized groups of young people of any secular organization in the country. Some 67,000 youth are involved with the NAACP through its Youth Councils and College Division. Its objectives are to inspire, motivate, and create interest in civic activities; provide young people with an understanding of pertinent issues; develop organizational skills for implementation of community-related activities; and encourage active participation in these activities.

Youth units attend NAACP conventions, sponsor tutorial programs, conduct voter registration drives, hold black history essay contests, and host Mr. and Miss. NAACP pageants.

The Youth and College Division offers workshops for college-bound students, focusing on financial aid, curriculum selection and scholarship applications; guidance and consultation for at-risk students; youth voter registration; youth seminars on the cause and effects of racial discrimination; and the facilitation of multi-racial meetings.