NAACP convention

As NAACP members gathered from across the country, the efforts of the second administration of President Donald Trump loomed over their 116th national convention, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 12 through 16.

Under the theme “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” the NAACP opened its 116th annual convention on July 12, with the intent of both safeguarding and advancing the civil rights gains and social justice efforts under ruthless federal attack.

Michael Curry stood before a packed conference hall at the NAACP Convention on Saturday and delivered a stirring speech on the history of Black activism in Boston.

When the NAACP opened its 114th convention in Boston last week, many visitors’ first taste of the festivities came from one of six aspiring culinarians. The Hub served samples of their meals on Friday. A day earlier, they waged a multi-hour cook-off for an NAACP national youth honor.

The NAACP ACT-SO program saw 512 qualified entrants from 89 NAACP branches competing at the convention in Boston. Medalists in 33 categories were recognized on July 29.

More than 60 vendors promoted their products and services at the NAACP convention in Boston, drawing long lines and lots of praise.

Besides civil rights and civic engagement, the national NAACP convention had on its agenda environmental justice and artificial intelligence, which were featured in topical sessions and draft resolutions presented to delegates.

The NAACP national convention in Boston — its first in the city in 40 years — was celebrated as a point of pride for leaders of local branches of the organization.

As participants descended on the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for the NAACP’s national convention, delegates and leaders saw the gathering as a needed chance to push back against white supremacy and conservative policies that they said pose a threat to Black communities.

As the NAACP’s national convention comes to Boston, teens from across the country will show off their skills in arts and science in the organization’s youth competition. The Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, or ACT-SO, lets young people compete for college scholarships and other prizes.

As we welcome the NAACP national convention to our city, I am joyful because America’s oldest civil rights group has chosen to come back to Boston and gather in one of the country’s oldest civil rights cities.

In 2020, plans to bring the national NAACP convention back to Boston for the first time in almost 40 years were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as the city prepares to host the 114th annual NAACP convention, local leaders within the organization are excited to pick up where they left off three years ago.