NAACP Image Awards | Thursday February 12, 2009

Did You Know?

• 1909
  On February 12th, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a multiracial group of activists, who answered "The Call," in New York, New York. They initially called themselves the National Negro Committee.
• 1913
  In April, Dr. Joel E. Spingarn instituted the Spingarn Medal, a gold medal that was to be awarded annually to an American Negro of ³highest achievement² for the proceeding year or years.
• 1939
  On April 9th, after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred Marian Anderson from performing at their Constitutional Hall in Washington DC, the NAACP successfully moved to have her appear at the Lincoln Memorial that Easter Sunday where more than seventy five thousand people attended the open air concert broadcast nationally by radio.
• 1942
  The Association worked with studio executives and politicians to establish an ad hoc committee with the major film studios to monitor the image and portrayal of African Americans on the silver screen.
• 1960
  Senator John F. Kennedy addressed an audience of seven thousand at the NAACP Civil Rights Rally at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, just four days before he secured the Democratic Presidential Nomination.
• 1975
  On August 6, President Ford signed H.R. 6219, amending and extending certain provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, culminating a two-year effort by the Washington Bureau and cooperating organizations. The 1974 Act extended protection of the right to register and vote to non-English speaking groups, especially Hispanics.
• 1987
  On the 25th anniversary of the use of federal troops to enforce integration of the Little Rock¹s Central High, the NAACP reunited the Little Rock Nine and NAACP leader Daisy Bates at ceremonies at the Arkansas Capital.
• 1991
  Following the victory in the Republican gubernatorial primary by former Klansman and neo-Nazi David Duke, the NAACP Louisiana State Conference launched a voter registration and Get-Out-The-Vote campaign resulting in Duke¹s defeat.
• 2006
  As part of our on-going efforts to the diversity of emerging talent in Hollywood, the NAACP united with several networks to create Master Degree Writing Fellowships.
• 2009
  On February 12th, the 40th NAACP Image Awards aired live celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP to the day.