National African American Leadership Summit

The National African American Leadership Summit (NAALS) emerged out a series of unification meetings initiated by Dr. Benjamin Chavis, who was the Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

After Dr. Chavis departed from his post at the NAACP, he convened a series of independent summit conferences for the leaders of civil rights organizations that led to the founding of NAALS in June, 1995.

NAALS was the primary civil rights organization that actively supported the Million Man March.

The practice of convening summit meetings of the leadership of national civil rights organizations began during the 1990s.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis was elected the Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Dr. Chavis advocated an expansionist membership program and a nationalist agenda that received popular support but became controversial within the NAACP.

In August, 1994, Dr. Chavis announced his retirement from the NAACP, and on the next day he convened an informal summit of civil rights leaders in Baltimore.

In December, 1994, Dr. Chavis convened a second civil rights summit in Chicago.

During these informal meetings, the group formulated a plan to organize the largest march on Washington in American history, a project that became known as the Million Man March (MMM).

In June 1995, Dr. Chavis announced the formation of the National African American Leadership Summit (NAALS) and the location of the next summit.

On June 19, 1995, Dr. Chavis convened the Houston Summit of NAALS at Texas Southern University where a constitution and by-laws were adopted.

NAALS participated with other civil rights organizations in the planning and implementation of the MMM.

Dr. Chavis served as National Director of the Million Man March Organizing Committee that was established by NAALS.

In the aftermath of the MMM, NAALS became the central nexus for policy formation for the American civil rights movement.

In December 1995, NAALS convened a national civil rights summit at Howard University. At this summit, Dr. Chavis outlined a nine point civil rights agenda.

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