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Today The National Coalition On Black Civic Participation Celebrates The 50th Anniversary of Its Founding By Leaning Into the Fight Against the Assault on Black Americans Voting Rights and Freedoms As Full Citizens of the United States
‘We Were Built for This Moment!’
Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2026) – Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (The National Coalition/NCBCP). The National Coalition was established 11 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to address the low voter registration and participation rates of Black Americans. On May 5, 1976, the NAACP, Joint Center for Economic & Political Studies and the AFL-CIO convened thirty-five Black leaders of national organizations to found the NCBCP.
At its inception, The National Coalition undertook the responsibility to enfranchise more than seven million non-voting Black voters who had been locked out of the political process. The catalyst for the formation of the National Coalition was the 1974 election when Black voter turnout was only 34 percent nationwide. Nearly half (48 percent) of the 15 million Black voting age population was unregistered.
For over 50 years, the NCBCP has been dedicated to building black voting, economic and political power, investing in intergerational Black leadership and protecting civil rights, voting rights, workers rights, women’s rights, LGBTQIA rights, reproductive rights, gender, economic and environmental justice for Black Americans and the Diaspora.
Today, that mission is under direct threat. Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Louisiana vs. Callais, have further dismantled key protections of the Voting Rights Act, destroying safeguards that once prevented discriminatory voting laws and making it increasingly difficult for Black voters to access the ballot. These rulings, combined with a wave of restrictive state laws, voter roll purges, and attacks on fair representation, represent a coordinated effort to silence Black voices, eliminate black political power and the ability to elect black elected officials; destroy U.S. democracy and replace it with an authoritarian state, led by racists and white nationalists.
“This is exactly why we must unite and fight,” said Melanie L. Campbell, President & CEO of NCBCP and National Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable. “Our right to vote has never been freely given, it has always been fought for, protected, and defended in the courts, in the legislatures and in the streets! The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is when Black Americans truly achieved full citizenship. 61 years later, we have lost our full citizenship rights when the U.S. Supreme Court recently voted 6-3 in the Louisiana vs. Callais Decision—clearing the way for partisan gerrymandering and allowing for racial discrimination in redistricting by state legislatures that will eliminate majority-black congressional districts in the middle of the 2026 Mid-Term Elections, especially in The South, where over 55% of the Black population lives. This unjust decision also opens the door to make it impossible for black voters to elect candidates of their choice.”
“These voting rights attacks will not go unchallenged. The NCBCP will continue to build intergenerational coalitions, strategize, organize, mobilize and empower our people to raise our voices, leverage our economic & voting power, and invest in the next generation to lead the fight for the liberation of our people. Black people built this country. We are not going anywhere, and we will NOT be erased!”
To celebrate the NCBCP's 50th Anniversary of its founding, we are leaning into our historic ability to convene diverse & effective coalitions and invest in the next generation of black leadership by organizing the following:
May 13, 2026
NCBCP Unity Emergency Black Leadership Voting Rights & Safety National Organizing Convening
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (ET)
AFL-CIO
815 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC
June 4 – 6, 2026
15th Annual Black Youth Vote Civic Leadership and Organizing National Training Conference & 30th Anniversary Celebration of BYV! Founding
National Education Association
1201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC
For more information about the NCBCP visit www.ncbcp.org
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About the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)
For 50 years, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation has been a leading advocate for the rights and empowerment of Black and underserved communities. Through its programs and initiatives, NCBCP works to expand civic engagement, strengthen economic opportunity, protect voting rights, and ensure equitable representation at every level of government. For more information on the NCBCP visit www.ncbcp.org
