The Atlanta NAACP is the Atlanta-branch of the national NAACP, which is among the largest and most established civil rights organizations in the United States. The organization operates several programs and advocacy campaigns centered around voter engagement, legal services, local public policy, policing and criminal justice issues, and activism.

The organization promotes many left-of-center local and national policies and has been heavily involved in promoting the removal of monuments to Confederate figures throughout the American south. The organization is led by Richard Rose, an Atlanta-based community organizer and activist, and the group is a partner organization of the Center for Common Ground, a left-of-center political advocacy group that has conducted voter mobilization campaigns largely centered around increasing Democratic voter turnout in Georgia elections. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Atlanta NAACP is an affiliate of the NAACP, a national civil rights organization founded in 1909.The NAACP is among the largest civil rights organizations in the United States and has mobilized African-American voters on behalf of Democratic candidates throughout the U.S. The Atlanta NAACP is also affiliated with the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP. ^{4 5}

The Atlanta NAACP is a long-established local branch of the NAACP. In the 1930s, Martin Luther King Sr., the father of well-known civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., sat on the executive committee of the Atlanta NAACP. ⁶

Programs

The Atlanta NAACP conducts multiple programs and campaigns centered around education and political advocacy among other topics. The group leads local annual competitions for the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), an annual academic contest for high school students. ⁷

The Atlanta NAACP also operates a “legal redress program” that “fields complaints from citizens in all areas of legal conflict.” The program provides legal assistance to individuals in criminal defense cases, employment discrimination cases, and housing discrimination cases. ⁸

The group also operates voter mobilization campaigns with the goal of improving voter turnout and promoting early voting. The group has recruited college and high school students to work as voter mobilization canvassers. ⁹ The group has also operated a website and app called ridetothepolls.com that provides rides for voters in Georgia elections. ¹⁰

Many of the public statements released by the Atlanta NAACP include supporting efforts to remove Confederate monuments throughout the American south. One opinion piece written by Atlanta NAACP president Richard Rose partially blamed the murder of Ahmaud Arbery on the existence of Confederate monuments and the United Daughters of the Confederacy; he stated, “Without a doubt, the murder of Ahmaud Arbery can be attributed to the 400+-year campaign of African degradation and institutionalized White Supremacy.” ¹¹

Center for Common Ground

The Atlanta NAACP is a partner organization of the Center for Common Ground, a left-of-center political advocacy group that has conducted voter mobilization campaigns largely centered around increasing Democratic voter turnout in Georgia elections. Partners of the Center for Common Ground also include left-of-center and far-left groups such as Black Voters Matter, the People’s Agenda, and Democracy Labs. ¹²

Leadership

Richard Rose has been the president of the Atlanta NAACP since 2015. Rose is an accountant and operates an accounting and financial services firm in addition to leading the organization. ¹³

1. “About.” Center for Common Ground. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.centerforcommonground.org/about
2. “Programs.” NAACP Atlanta. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.naacpatlanta.org/programs.php#5
3. “Richard Rose.” National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://nbcahof.org/richard-rose/
4. “About Us.” NAACP Atlanta. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.naacpatlanta.org/aboutus.php
5. “NAACP Georgia State Conference.” ProPublica. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/582045335
6. “King Sr., Reappointed to the Atlanta NAACP Executive Committee.” The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/king-sr-reappointed-atlanta-naacp-executive-committee
7. “Programs.” NAACP Atlanta. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.naacpatlanta.org/programs.php#5
8. “Programs.” NAACP Atlanta. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.naacpatlanta.org/programs.php#5
9. “Programs.” NAACP Atlanta. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.naacpatlanta.org/programs.php#5
10. “Richard Rose.” National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://nbcahof.org/richard-rose/
11. Rose, Richard. “The Confederacy Is the Real Killer.” NAACP Atlanta. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.naacpatlanta.org/news_details.php?event_id=163
12. “About.” Center for Common Ground. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://www.centerforcommonground.org/about
13. “Richard Rose.” National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://nbcahof.org/richard-rose/