Race & Justice
Structural discrimination and unjust policing, prosecution, and incarceration practices unfairly impact Black communities. Building a just system urgently demands reform.
The Challenge
When we talk about race and justice, we’re talking about the ways that discrimination, policing, prosecutions, and incarceration practices impact Black communities.
Our criminal justice system is shaped by biased policing and unfair judicial precedents, rooted in anti-Blackness and racial disparity. The emotional, mental, physical, and financial impact on our communities is a tangible experience for millions of Black people in the U.S. The cost of an unjust justice system is high.
- Black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites.
- 65 percent of Black adults have felt targeted because of their race. Similarly, approximately 35 percent of Latino and Asian adults have felt targeted because of race.
5X
Black men are five times more likely to be stopped without just cause than a white person.
Education Innovation
We advocate for equitable local, state, and federal policies that establish education standards, allocate resources, and set priorities for education and workforce systems.
The Challenge
Every child deserves an opportunity to reach their full potential. But our education systems are collapsing under inequity, and it’s mostly because of poverty. Students who experience severe economic obstacles perform worse than students who have access to more wealth.
To bridge these gaps and ensure that all children get a real chance at a fulfilling education, we need to address systemic racism and poverty as tangible barriers to learning and future achievement.
Every Black student deserves access to great teaching, equitable resources, and a safe learning environment from grade school classrooms to college campuses. Black students matter and working on their behalf has never been more urgent.
71%
of children experiencing poverty are children of color
Environmental & Climate Justice
Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, systematically impacts communities of color and low-income communities in the U.S. and around the world.
The Challenge
Environmental and climate justice is a civil rights issue. We all depend on the physical environment and its bounty.
Toxic facilities, like coal-fired power plants and incinerators, emit mercury, arsenic, lead, and other contaminants into the water, food, and lungs of communities. Many of these same facilities also emit carbon dioxide and methane — the No. 1 and No. 2 drivers of climate change. But not all people are equally impacted. Race — even more than class — is the number one indicator for the placement of toxic facilities in this country hit by climate change.
Inclusive Economy
Economic equity is crucial to racial equity. An inclusive economy means everyone can contribute and earn with fair access to resources and opportunity.
The Challenge
The so-called American dream is out of reach. A great deal of research confirms what we already know — investments in communities of color are paramount to mitigating racism and historic disinvestment. Existing policy is insufficient.
- White families typically make 10 times that of Black families, one of many financial gaps that come from decades of discriminatory policies and nearly three centuries of slavery.
- There are extreme disparities in employment, home ownership, and housing affordability in the Black community.
- Closing the revenue gap between Black and white businesses would generate an additional $290 billion for the U.S. economy.
The lack of racial equity in how the American economy functions severely impacts Black people, who are systematically restricted from being fully realized participants. Economic equity is a crucial part of establishing holistic racial equity for Black people. It’s not just important that Black people be able to contribute to the economy as workers and consumers, but also as owners with the same access to resources and chance at success as anyone.
10x
White families typically make 10 times that of Black families
Health & Well-being
Black health matters, and our work on behalf of families has never been more urgent.
The Challenge
Everyone has a right to good health and well-being, but America’s promise has fallen short. Individual health does not exist in a vacuum. It is tied to the community conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. For people of color, geography, income, and race are longstanding predictors of health outcomes. The roots of historic inequity run deep in fragmented public and private health systems and disadvantaged opportunities across the lifespan.
NAACP is committed to ending racial health disparities. Our aim is not simply disease prevention, but to create an inclusive culture of healthy people and communities. We collaborate with communities through coordinated action to improve the social determinants of health — racism, poverty, exclusion, inferior schools, unsafe housing, poor nutrition, and toxic environments. We disrupt the status quo by working at the intersection of policy and systems change to drive sustainable impact for the sake of our future.
Throughout the world, the coronavirus pandemic has underscored how important it is for a healthy nation to offer its residents robust health care options. In the U.S., our collective unwillingness to ensure affordable, accessible, quality, and timely health care for all has cost too many Black lives and unnecessarily compromised our nation’s health and economic security. The U.S. is overdue for a health care system that truly bolsters health for all its people rather than fragments them further.
34%
of COVID-19 deaths were among non-Hispanic Black people, though they make up only 12% of the total U.S. population.
Next Generation Leadership
We support our young emerging leaders and their transition into becoming strong agents for social change within and beyond NAACP.
YOUNG LEADERS, TODAY
Young people and the movement for civil rights have always been closely connected. While we often think of the titans of the Civil Rights movement as wise elders, during the peak of their work they were often teenagers and college students, finding their voices as they diligently worked to shape their own future.
That legacy continues today. During uprisings and protests against police violence, we have witnessed young, Black NAACP members nationwide step up to represent their communities.
We are passionate about not only including youth at all levels of our work, but ensuring that they have supportive spaces, mentors, and guidance to speak out, learn, and develop into the civil rights and social justice leaders of tomorrow. Listening to and embracing the thought leadership of our young people is crucial to our commitment to lasting social and political change.
25K
Young people are fighting for civil rights with NAACP
Disrupting the status quo
We’re committed to dismantling racism and disrupting inequality to create a society where all people can truly be free. Our work includes civic engagement, systemically building racial equity, and supporting policies and institutions that prioritize the urgent needs of Black people, who are most impacted by race-based discrimination.
From city halls to the Supreme Court, using advocacy and litigation, we will secure civil rights for everyone.
