75 years of bold and visionary civil rights work. 75 years at the forefront of securing justice for generations to come.
On March 15, 1940, Thurgood Marshall founded the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund with a vision of America that yet did not exist. A vision that would transform America from its darkest chapter of racism to a place of equality for all.
75 years later, our work has netted significant gains for African Americans since our arrival, yet there is still much to do in a new civil rights moment where the battle is different yet our call to action remains the same. Today, LDF leverages litigation, advocacy, research and communications to make good on the vision of Marshall. It still holds true today that education, economic opportunity, criminal justice reforms and widespread access to political participation are platforms that can place African-Americans onto ladders of opportunity.
This page captures some of LDF’s most memorable work, through important cases, historical documents, images and testimonies, over the past 75 years. This work reinforces our current civil rights agenda where our past will ignite the future towards broader establishment of civil rights protections that make good on the promise of equality.
LDF will kick-off our year long events programming with a reception on April 16th in Philadelphia, PA at the Kimmel Center with Andrea Mitchell from NBC News, NY Times Columnist Robert Herbert and MSNBC reporter Trymaine Lee.
Visit our site to get the latest information on our special events, commemorations and programming. Follow us on social media to know more about the 75 year history of LDF and to join us as we ignite a new civil rights era.
