NAACP to Organize Nationwide Town Halls to Defend Civil Rights and Mobilize Volunteers Ahead of 2026 Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 11, 2025

Contact: communications@naacpnet.org 

WASHINGTON – The NAACP, the nation's largest and most influential civil rights organization, is set to launch a nationwide series of town halls rooted in the legacy of resistance and grounded in our vision for political accountability and justice today. Taking place throughout August to October 2025, the Fierce Advocacy in Action Town Halls will host eight town halls across key states to engage Black communities around urgent threats to healthcare, education, food access, environmental justice, and more.

Through community-centered town halls, the NAACP will uplift local voices, hold elected officials accountable, and galvanize momentum toward the 2026 midterm elections. Each event will spotlight how federal budget decisions impact Black lives locally and what we must demand of Congress, state lawmakers, and public agencies to protect our communities.

"As we build toward the 2026 midterm election, our campaign will focus on connecting past liberation struggles to the urgent demands of the present," said Wisdom Cole, NAACP's Senior National Director of Advocacy. "From attacks on our healthcare, to voter suppression, and illegal ICE arrests, our democracy is on the line. We don't have much time to fight back."

Issues that will be discussed during the town halls include medicaid expansion and the threats of Trump's Big Ugly Bill; continued assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and immigrant justice in the face of illegal kidnappings by ICE.

The launch of the series on August 12, in New Jersey, will focus on mobilizing our communities by getting off the sidelines and into the fight for justice. Hosted by the Hunterdon Branch of the NAACP, this town hall will feature speakers including Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Flemington councilmember Tony Parker, assistant pastor of the Fountain Baptist Church Rev. Vernon Williams, and civil rights activist Lawrence Hamm, among others.

At the town halls, the NAACP will continue to recruit voters and volunteers leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, supporting local mobilizations including door knocking. In addition, the organization will be recruiting more than 1,200 volunteers across Virginia, leading up to the gubernatorial election later this year.

Press interested in attending and/or covering the town halls should contact communications@naacpnet.org for additional details.

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About NAACP

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.