Former NAACP National Headquarters

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Now home to the New School, this corner was the site of a building constructed in 1912 and home to numerous organizations including the NAACP. The NAACP was established in 1909 thanks to the leadership of W.E.B. DuBois and a diverse assortment of progressive reformers that included women. The NAACP experienced tremendous growth and activity during the time that it occupied the building. While DuBois was initially the only person of color in a position of leadership, NAACP chapters were often led by African Americans and it was from this location that DuBois used his influence to convert the NAACP's newsletter into The Crisis, a magazine edited by DuBois that followed his more radical vision for the organization. During the early years of the NAACP, the organization challenged racist depictions of African Americans in film and local chapters secured several state laws that limited the showing of Birth of a Nation, a film that glorified the Klan and depicted Reconstruction as an era when white supremacy "redeemed" the former Confederate states. NAACP chapters also supported efforts to limit school segregation or secure better resources for segregated schools. The organization also attempted to pass a law that would make lynching a federal crime. The NAACP is currently headquartered in Baltimore and the original building was demolished and is now home to a modern building that holds the New School. However, the NAACP's connection with this New York street corner has been forever memorialized in one of the most recognizable and iconic photos in American history. From 1920 to 1938, leaders of the NAACP used their office to spread awareness of lynching by flying a flag from their offices that bore the words “A Man Was Lynched Yesterday" from their headquarters. The NAACP stopped flying the flag in 1938 after being threatened with the loss of their lease.

Images

This photo from the Library of Congress shows the former building at 69 Fifth Avenue that was home to the NAACP and Crisis magazine offices

Building, Window, Rectangle, Picture frame

W.E.B. DuBois

The NAACP began flying this solemn banner to draw attention to acts of racial terror

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909 and is the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. It was founded in New York City and in 1914, the organization established its headquarters on the fifth floor of the building at 69 Fifth Avenue.

The 1910s were a time of remarkable activism by the fledgling organization. The 1915 premiere of the film Birth of a Nation triggered a revival of the Ku Klux Klan, which expanded beyond the Southern states into a nationwide organization. Lynchings, which increased dramatically in the closing years of the nineteenth century, continued and often went unpunished. President Woodrow Wilson oversaw the segregation of multiple federal agencies.

To deal with these and other challenges, the NAACP launched campaigns for voting rights for African Americans and for an end to segregation in the federal government. They also called attention to the lynching of African Americans and called for federal anti-lynching legislation. It was from the Fifth Avenue building that the NAACP began their solemn practice of flying a banner printed with the stark message “A Man Was Lynched Yesterday” following each act of racially motivated terrorism.

During the time that the NAACP occupied the Fifth Avenue building, it also began publication of The Crisis, the nation’s oldest magazine oriented to African Americans. W.E.B. DuBois, one of the founders of the NAACP, founded the magazine. The Crisis focused on the issues facing African Americans, but also showcased African American arts, becoming the voice of the Harlem Renaissance. DuBois also published The Brownies’ Book, which was essentially a children’s version of The Crisis, and was also published at the organization’s headquarters.

The NAACP continued to operate out of the building for many decades. Today, the New School occupies the location and several adjacent buildings while the NAACP headquarters is located in Baltimore.

Sources

Bubbins, Harry . Why Isn't This Landmarked? 70 Fifth Avenue, Village Preservation. April 18th 2020. Accessed February 10th 2021. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2020/04/18/why-isnt-this-landmarked-70-fifth-avenue/

Gannon, Devin. Former NAACP Headquarters in Greenwich Village May Become City Landmark, 6sqft. January 20th 2021. Accessed February 10th 2021. https://www.6sqft.com/former-naacp-headquarters-in-greenwich-village-may-become-city-landmark/.

NAACP History: W.E.B. DuBois, NAACP. Accessed February 10th 2021. https://www.naacp.org/naacp-history-w-e-b-dubois/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.loc.gov/item/94504516/