Did You Know?

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in New York on Republican President Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday, February 12, 1909, by a group of freedom activists that included both black and white Republicans.

The first black general secretary of the NAACP was black Republican James Weldon Johnson, who was elected to that office in 1920. Prior to that time, Johnson was most notable for writing the song, “Lift Every Voice,” in 1900 in collaboration with his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. This famous song is commonly referred to as the “Black National Anthem.”

The NAACP’s Spingarn Medal has been awarded annually since 1915 to highlight black achievement. This prestigious award was named after Joel E. Spingarn, one of the NAACP’s Republican founders, who served as Chairman and one of the NAACP’s first Jewish leaders until his death in 1939.

In 1972, President Nixon appointed Benjamin Hooks as the first African-American member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. On July 15, 1980, Benjamin Hooks addressed the Republican National Convention as President of the NAACP.