Keep Advancing in 2025

Change is on the agenda for 2025. New leaders will take office this month across the country. Climate change continues and no one knows what the economy will look like from one month to the next.

We know the only constant is change. The Black Panthers showed us the power of community and taking care of our own. And our legacy has equipped us with what we need to make it through what feels like unprecedented times.

The path to our ultimate goal - an equitable future for all - isn't a straight line. There will be peaks of great progress and pits of setbacks. But we keep advancing.

The fight wasn't done when we secured the Civil Rights Act in 1964 or the Voting Rights Act in 1965. We kept fighting and advancing. Though we've helped elect candidates who look like us , the fight isn't done. We have more work to do.

ad-vance | verb

to accelerate the growth or progress of

We face policy changes that can - and will - harm Black communities across the country. The attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion continues, threatening the gains we've made over the past 30 years. And the last time we lived through this political landscape we battled a rise in hate and violence.

As we observe five years since the COVID pandemic and the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others by police officers sworn to protect those they actually endangered, we'll take a moment to reflect, take stock, and advance.

Throughout the year we'll celebrate culture and representation through the Image Awards and we'll gather to plot the path forward during the NAACP National Convention. In between, we'll be in towns, counties, and cities across the country advocating for policies and practices that benefit everyone. 

We still need police reform. We need the companies who made promises of diversity and inclusivity to progress, not retreat. We need to protect voting rights, strengthen health care for all, and address skyrocketing housing costs.

So this year, we must keep advancing. And we will.