National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), U.S. interracial organization, founded in New York City (1909) to oppose racism, segregation, and discrimination. It works for the enactment and enforcement of civil rights laws, supports education programs, and engages in direct action. An early success was the ending of lynching, and it was instrumental in desegregating public schools. It was directly responsible for the historic Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954).