The NAACP of Thurston County

Angela Jefferson

For more than 100 years, the NAACP has fought for equality. Founded in 1909, our work continues today to protect voting rights and stand against injustice.

Our greatest strength has always been people, and community members coming together, building partnerships, and speaking up to make a difference. Our voice matters, your voice matters. Together, we can build a community where everyone feels they belong.

The NAACP comes west

In 1913, four years after our organization founding, Tacoma became home to the first NAACP branch on the West Coast.

Seattle followed in 1914, Portland in 1915, and 12 Walla Walla residents organized a branch in 1916.  By 1920, branches had been established in Everett and Yakima. 

This all occurred without a large number of Black people, because our population has always been small, still today. Despite this, the early branches quickly showed that a small community of voices could have a significant impact. 

In 1914, Tacoma NAACP leaders reported they successfully lobbied the Washington Legislature to stop a proposed law that would have prohibited interracial marriage.

In Portland, the NAACP protested discrimination at YMCA facilities in 1915.

In 1916, NAACP branches in our region participated in efforts to prevent theaters from showing “The Birth of a Nation,” a film that glorified the Ku Klux Klan and portrayed Black Americans using extremely violent racist images and stereotypes.

A national organization built on local branches

The NAACP grew rapidly by building a network of local branches connected to the national organization, which eventually became a powerful force in both legal and legislative advocacy.

They helped lay the groundwork for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Today, the local branch is where members, including educators, organize issues affecting our communities while staying connected to the larger NAACP structure and priorities.

Where does our Thurston County chapter fit?

The Thurston County chapter fits in the Pacific Northwest network.  This includes the NAACP Alaska, Oregon, Washington State-Area Conference (AOWSAC).

The conference connects branches across Alaska, Oregon and Washington, and gives local branches a way to work together, develop leadership and strengthen civil rights advocacy throughout the region. 

Across the three states, it includes Bremerton, Seattle-King County, Snohomish County, Spokane, Tacoma, Thurston County, Tri-Cities, Vancouver and Yakima in Washington.

Eugene/Springfield, Linn-Bento County, Portland, and Salem-Keizer in Oregon. And Anchorage and Fairbanks in Alaska.

Similar to other communities in the United States, Thurston County has experienced its share of racial segregation, restrictive housing and discrimination.

At the same time, Black residents and other community members have organized and advocated for equality and fairness.

NAACP organizing efforts in the county have experienced periods of dormancy, like other communities across the country.

In 2024, seven members of this community reactivated the NAACP of Thurston County. A Washington state lawyer, a local elected council member, an educator, a church reverend, a nonprofit executive, a community member and two retired Army soldiers showed up and said, “It’s time to create a chapter to represent our community”

Local work in the larger movement

One thing to understand about the NAACP is that local and national work are connected. A concern raised by a parent, a community conversation about housing, an education issue, voter education, criminal justice, economic opportunity or discrimination may begin locally. But local branches can connect those concerns with our national organization. 

More than 110 years ago, people in Tacoma, Seattle, Portland and other Pacific Northwest communities understood that they did not have to wait for someone else to fight for their communities. They organized and created partnerships.

This is the history we inherit in Thurston County. The NAACP of Thurston County is local by design, but connected by history, structure, and a purpose to a movement that began in 1909 and continues today.

 Angela Jefferson is a Tumwater City Council member, retired soldier, and human resources executive with a passion for civic engagement, education and local history.

Editor's note: This column is part of a series from the NAACP of Thurston County designed to help our community understand who we are, where we came from, and why local civil rights work still matters.