The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded on February 25, 1909, in response to the ongoing racial violence and discrimination faced by African Americans in the United States. The organization's mission was to secure the political, economic, social and equal rights of all persons and to eliminate racial prejudice and racial discrimination. The NAACP worked to achieve these goals through legal challenges, lobbying, public relations and other advocacy efforts.