NAACP Breaks a 116-Year Tradition — And It Speaks Volumes
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.
The NAACP chose to reflect the urgency of now—not tradition, not decorum. In a moment of democratic crisis, they chose clarity over comfort.
When communities are being targeted, neutrality isn’t peace — it’s permission. This decision rejects the idea that access is more important than accountability.
And it set a new standard. For institutions, for leaders, for all of us watching — it’s a reminder: our values don’t belong to the past. They live in how we show up right now.
Read more here:
👉 NAACP refuses to invite Trump to convention for 1st time in 116 years
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Let this moment be a reminder: when institutions hold firm to principles, they shift the arc of history—and who lives within it.