NC NAACP president speaks on national organization celebrating 114 years of service
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A national civil rights organization marking 114 years of service to communities, one day after celebrating its founders’ day.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also known as the NAACP, is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. The organization was founded February 12, 1909
The NAACP was founded by well-known activists and civil rights leaders of different races and cultures, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, and Ida B. Wells.
The organization was created in response to a deadly race riot that took place in 1908 in Springfield, Illinois.
“It’s important for people to recognize that we serve all people. One of our things is to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. So, when that happens for people of color, that opens it up for everyone. It benefits not just us, –it benefits every citizen who needs that service,” said Deborah Dicks Maxwell, NC NAACP president.
Its mission is to remove barriers of racial discrimination, and ensuring political and educational equality for all citizens.
Deborah Dicks Maxwell, a desert storm arm veteran and a retired public health social worker is the first woman to serve as North Carolina’s NAACP president. Prior to be selected as president, she served in leadership roles within the organization on a local level for more than 15 years.
“It has been rewarding, challenging, and I pursue each one on a daily basis. I come from a family that has a motto, that says adding productive generations to America,” said Maxwell.
Maxwell shares what Black History Month means to her.
“Black History Month is a great month, but it’s every month of the year,” Maxwell said. “It’s just that we can’t encapsulate everything that’s been done in twenty-eight little days and has to be a continuum over the year.”
She says as the NAACP’s mission continues serving communities across the country more than a century later, she encourages more people to get involved in the community.
“Everyone can play a part, everyone can serve, and everyone needs to,” said Maxwell.
The NAACP advocated for the John Lewis Voting Advancement Act, The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and in the enacting of voting right laws.
On a local level, the organization accepts and investigates discrimination and civil rights violations across southeastern North Carolina.
