NAACP Day – Feb. 12, 2027

Expected NAACP Day Deals

On NAACP Day, the focus shifts from commercial deals to supporting the vital work of civil rights organizations. The NAACP itself welcomes donations to fund its lobbying, litigation, and educational efforts. Many corporate partners, such as Ben & Jerry’s and Levi Strauss & Co., often align with social justice causes through direct contributions or by matching employee donations. Look for opportunities to support local chapters or related initiatives from brands committed to racial equity. We will update this page with confirmed live opportunities to engage as February 12 approaches.

History of NAACP Day

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or simply the N.A.A.C.P., was founded by white and black American activists, as a way of responding to the ongoing violence against African Americans around the country. It was established in New York City in February 1909, and it is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States of America. During the first few decades of the N.A.A.C.P., its anti-lynching campaign became a significant point in the organization’s agenda. During the civil rights era in the 1950s and 1960s, the N.A.A.C.P. secured major legal victories. Today they have over 2,200 branches and over half of a million members worldwide.

The foundation of the N.A.A.C.P. was partially in response to the 1908 Springfield race riot in Illinois during which two black men who were held in a Springfield jail for alleged crimes against white folks were secretly transferred to a jail in another city. This led to a white mob burning down 40 homes in Springfield’s black residential district, vandalizing local businesses, and ultimately murdering two African Americans. Some of the early members of the N.A.A.C.P. — which included individuals advocating for the extension of voting rights to more people, especially women, social workers, journalists, and labor reformers, among others — had been involved in a previous civil rights group known as the Niagara Movement, which was led by W.E.B. Du Bois, a sociologist, and writer.

In its charter, the N.A.A.C.P. promised the championing of equal rights and eradication of racial prejudice, as well as the advancement of the interest of colored citizens regarding voting rights, legal justice, and educational and employment opportunities. The N.A.A.C.P. has worked toward the achievement of its goals through the judicial system, lobbying, and peaceful protests. In 1910, the state of Oklahoma passed a constitutional amendment allowing people whose grandfathers had been eligible to vote in 1866 to register for voting without needing to pass a literacy test. This enabled illiterate whites to avoid taking the reading test while discriminating against illiterate black people, whose ancestors did not have a guaranteed right to vote in 1866, by requiring them to pass a test to vote. The law was challenged by the N.A.A.C.P. and won them a legal victory in 1915 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the constitutionality of the ‘grandfather clause’ in “Guinn v. United States.”

Today, the N.A.A.C.P. focuses on issues like inequality in jobs, education, health care, and the criminal justice system, as well as protecting the voting rights of colored people. They have also pushed for the removal of Confederate flags and statues from public property. One of their core focuses is helping Black students get access to great education, which is often blocked by economic obstacles. The N.A.A.C.P. works to overcome this by providing scholarships, and there are many organizations helping them do this. If you’re a student looking for funding, Scholaroo has a database of scholarships for Black students that may help.

How Businesses Can Celebrate NAACP Day