NAACP Breaks a 116-Year Tradition — And It Speaks Volumes
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From the Black Wall Street Times
From Truman to Obama, presidents have stood at that podium—arguing Black interests mattered across party lines. Not this time, not this president.
For the first time since 1909, the NAACP is not inviting a sitting president to its national convention. This year, they’re leaving Trump off the program—breaking 116 years of what was once a bipartisan tradition.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson made it very clear, Trump’s executive orders, military deployment against communities, and threats to voting rights and civil protections are not a distraction—they are direct threats to their mission of advancing civil rights. He called the move a stand against “fascism” in plain terms.
From Truman to Obama, presidents have stood at that podium—arguing Black interests mattered across party lines. This year, though, the NAACP drew a clear line: no complicity, no normalizing, no platform for anti-democratic actions.
Keep reading to learn how this decision reflects the urgency of now.
Discover the fight for civil rights, which involved the NAACP.
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