NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1940 as a separate entity from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Its mission is to achieve racial justice through litigation, advocacy, and public education. LDF has played a pivotal role in landmark civil rights cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Over the decades, LDF has expanded its focus to include issues such as voting rights, economic justice, and criminal justice reform, striving to ensure that all individuals have equal protection under the law.