In the final days of the election season, both the Democratic and Republican parties are making their final appeals to a specific voting bloc: Black voters.

Black organizations have historically been at the forefront of civic engagement, and as Election Day gets closer, the groups are making sure the community is ready to vote.

The Jacksonville Youth Council of the NAACP will commemorate the 64th anniversary of the 1960 Sit-Ins and Ax Handle Saturday on Tuesday at the First Baptist Church of Oakland.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday is set to address the 115th national convention of the NAACP in Las Vegas.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday morning is set to deliver the keynote address at the NAACP South Carolina State Conference “King Day at the Dome” event.

A federal judge will consider arguments over racial discrimination, public safety and local democracy as he decides whether to block appointments to a state-run court set to be created on Jan. 1 in part of Mississippi’s majority-Black capital city.

North Carolina’s photo voter identification law is getting implemented in local elections that wrap up next week.

A civil rights legal group is challenging legacy admissions at Harvard University, saying the practice discriminates against students of color by giving an unfair boost to the mostly white children of alumni.

The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP and the other civil rights groups involved in the city of Jacksonville redistricting lawsuit have filed a motion asking a federal judge to order special elections for Duval County School Board Districts 4 and 6, in 2024.

Three organizations have filed federal lawsuits, claiming Florida’s Senate Bill 7050 violates First Amendment rights and harms efforts to sign up Black and Hispanic voters.

Three separate civil rights groups have issued their own travel warning for tourists visiting Florida citing recently passed legislation that the groups say has created a shadow of fear in Florida.

The largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. has joined other civil rights organizations in issuing a travel advisory for Florida.

We want to know, have you changed your travel or event plans due to the travel advisory or any other factors involving state legislation? Tell us.

The NAACP on Saturday issued a formal travel advisory for Florida saying that the state is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.

The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws championed by Gov_ Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”.

The NAACP warns that “separate and unequal policing” will return to Mississippi’s majority-Black capital under a state-run police department.

Florida is proposing some of its toughest immigration laws in years, backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. One bill proposes prosecuting legal resident who hide or transport those in the country illegally. As a result of that, another group has come out with a travel advisory for people coming to state. The Florida Immigrant Coalition wants people to know they might face problems if the law is passed. They join two other groups Equality Florida and The NAACP which has come out with similar warnings...to not come to Florida.

At its statewide conference in Orlando, member organizations of the Florida NAACP voted unanimously to recommend that the national NAACP board issue a nationwide travel advisory against moving or visiting the Sunshine State.

Whether you feel like you have a strong understanding of black history, or you're working to learn more, we've assembled 10 facts, or anecdotes, from history.com, to help you grow your knowledge base.

The 11th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals has denied the city of Jacksonville’s request for a stay of a federal judge’s ruling on redistricting.

In March, voters will go to the polls to elect new city leaders — among them Jacksonville City Council members.

The federal government will put $600 million toward repairing the troubled water system in Mississippi’s capital city — a project that the mayor has said could cost billions of dollars.

A federal trial to determine whether South Carolina’s congressional maps are legal is closing with arguments over whether the state Legislature diluted Black voting power.

There’s an update in the fight to redraw Jacksonville’s City Council districts.

After the Jacksonville City Council last Friday made a decision on a redrawn district map, the city filed a motion with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to stay Judge Marcia Morales Howard’s order striking down the very first version.

There was more reaction on Wednesday concerning how Jacksonville’s political landscape could change in the wake of a federal judge’s ruling.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced it is investigating whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the state’s majority-Black capital city by refusing to fund improvements for its failing water system.

The NAACP on Tuesday accused Mississippi of discriminating against Black residents by denying badly needed federal funds for drinking water infrastructure in Jackson and instead diverting money to largely-white communities that needed it less.

News4JAX asked retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office assistant Chief Rick Parker to look at the video.

Newman was given a warning in January, and according to the department’s Facebook page, she was named deputy of the month just two months later.

The Northside Coalition has filed a lawsuit Friday against the City of Jacksonville asking a judge to throw out the city council’s redistricting map.

Civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit demanding the Jacksonville City Council “start over” on recently approved boundary lines.

New maps could soon be approved for Jacksonville’s 14 City Council districts.

Jennifer Hudson was named entertainer of the year at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards that highlighted works by entertainers and writers of color.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will receive the President’s Award during the 53rd NAACP Image Awards this weekend.

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One of several legal challenges to North Carolina’s contentious voter ID law is on hold amid a dispute over whether two justices on the state Supreme Court should recuse themselves.

Sixty-one years later, newly unearthed footage offers a rare and chilling glimpse at the violence that consumed downtown Jacksonville on the day known as Ax Handle Saturday.

Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are unveiling $9.25 million in new educational and humanitarian projects as they seek to build on an alliance formed with the NAACP in 2018.

The University of Texas has announced that its marching band and pep band will be required to play “The Eyes of Texas” school song when they return to performing.

The NAACP has given him its Jackie Robinson Sports Award. And, for the first time, the nation's oldest civil rights organization is recognizing more than one person by honoring the WNBA Players Association. Ad“I am so proud of the WNBA players for this well-deserved recognition of their continued activism and advocacy for social justice and equality," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement provided to the AP. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, outspoken on many issues himself, admires the WNBA players for their activism. “I love what the WNBA players have done.

Nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state, a Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign. (Missouri Division of Tourism via AP). – A Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign, nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state. Pictures also show her posing as a Foodie Mo, Barbecue Mo, Lake Mo, History Mo and more. He said Visit Missouri, the tourism website that features Mo, “auditioned over 200 actors and actresses with strong ties to Missouri.

(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)Mia Schultz has watched three other Black women in Vermont leave leadership posts in the mostly white state because of harassment and threats. Democratic state Rep. Kiah Morris, who was the only Black woman in the Vermont state Legislature, resigned that year partially in response to harassment from a self-described white nationalist. Anyone holding public office or high profile advocacy roles takes on risks as a public figure, but Black women face harassment and threats of violence aimed at them for both their gender and race. It's a challenge Black women leaders across the United States face and coincides with a surge of women, and women of color, running for office. Just this week during Vermont's annual town meetings, at least three Black women won seats on town and school boards.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP sent a letter to Mayor Lenny Curry and City Council President Tommy Hazouri calling for more COVID-19 vaccination sites in neighborhoods that have been overlooked in the past. Rumlin writes that plan should consider the fact that the statistics show COVID-19 has disproportionately affected communities of color. “The Curry Administration and City Council Members who represent these communities should reach out to aggressively and with urgency to vaccinate these communities,” reads the letter, dated Feb. 9. AdREAD: Letter to mayor and City Council president from Jacksonville NAACPThe letter was also signed by the presidents of the Jacksonville Urban League, Northeast Florida Medical Society Foundation and First Coast Black Nurses Association. The State of Florida determines who receives the vaccine supply and they have their own distribution chains that we do not control.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP sent a letter to Mayor Lenny Curry, outlining the civil rights group’s concerns about COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Isaiah Rumlin, president of the NAACP’s Jacksonville branch, writes in the letter, dated Jan. 22, that the group is not confident in the city’s vaccine rollout in the African American community. Expand the number of vaccination and testing sites to ensure that communities of color in the city are adequately covered. READ: Letter to mayor from NAACP Jacksonville BranchCain also said he encourages people in the African Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “The City of Jacksonville does have the capacity to implement mass vaccinations as we have demonstrated through our multiple COVID-19 testing sites throughout the City.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was motivated by race when it created a traffic plan designed to “suck the fun” out of Black Bike Week, a federal jury has found. But the same jury sided against the bikers, saying the city probably would have imposed the plan anyway. The Black bikers have been particularly frustrated by a 23-mile (37-kilometer) one-way no-exit traffic chute that funnels them out of town during the peak nights of Atlantic Beach Bikefest, otherwise known as Black Bike Week. The NAACP has tussled in court with the city, as well as local restaurants and a hotel, over their responses to the Black bikers for nearly two decades. That settlement expired in 2015, when the new traffic plan was established.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Motorcycle clubs roar into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, each May for separate week-long rallies, one mostly white, the other mostly Black. White bikers rolling in days earlier for Harley Week each May are treated differently, Black bikers say. In opening arguments last week to five Black and four white jurors, an NAACP lawyer said Myrtle Beach during Bikefest is “like a city under martial law," The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported. The Atlantic Beach event soon sprawled into nearby towns, including Myrtle Beach, where most of the 35,000 residents are white. Myrtle Beach city and Chamber of Commerce officials refused to talk about the trial.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The NAACP is working to ensure Georgia voters know that another important election is coming up in January -- the runoff races for two Senate seats. The 2020 presidential election broke records for voter turnout, including the number of minorities that cast a ballot. The NAACP said it spent millions of dollars, especially in swing states, to encourage voters to get to the polls. “This was the most strategic and largest initiative for voters,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. $15 million dollars was spent on the initiative, which included the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas and Alabama.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s going to be a busy weekend in Jacksonville for those hoping to enjoy some fun sporting events downtown and for those with a more serious agenda. A peaceful rally is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday at City Hall -- just 30 minutes before kickoff of the annual Georgia-Florida game at TIAA Bank Field. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is preparing for the events to keep everyone safe, and police are also monitoring any potential unrest surrounding the election results. pic.twitter.com/PN76rsfxRn — NAACP (@NAACP) November 6, 2020Jefferson said people should be hesitant to believe things, especially in a random text message, but they should also be aware. Those coming for any of the sporting events this weekend are encouraged to still come early, despite smaller crowds due to COVID-19 and stadium capacity limits.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Emails circulating within African American churches throughout Gainesville contain an alleged warning from the NAACP that white supremacists were coming to the area to kidnap black men and hang them, according to the Gainesville Police Department. GPD immediately consulted with federal authorities, including the FBI, and confirmed that the threat and the emails are not authentic. The exact same email was circulated throughout the African American community in Atlanta several months ago. The NAACP said they were not aware of any such threats and had issued any warning. “GPD takes any threats such as these extremely seriously and will continue to partner with local and federal law enforcement agencies to protect and serve our neighbors in the Gainesville community,” according to a release Friday morning.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A soon to be published book by author Bob Woodward, who found fame after reporting on the Watergate scandal, named St. Lucie as the second Florida county that was supposedly hacked by Russians in 2016. The book, “Rage,” is re-igniting concerns over election security in Florida. “There have been problems that have been identified, and there’s been a response to that,” said Mark Earley, Election Supervisor for Leon County. While the election is just under two months away, mail ballots go out in two weeks, on Sept. 24. Adner Marcelin with the NAACP said it’s also important to track your mail ballot after returning it.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The NAACP and other community groups will meet with State Attorney Melissa Nelson, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and other city leaders during the next several weeks to discuss the associations demands for racial equality. Isaiah Rumlin, the president of the Jacksonville chapter of the NAACP, joined News4Jax anchor Jennifer Waugh on The Morning Show to talk about the organizations reaction to the decision by the state attorney and the sheriff to release body camera video of police shootings. RELATED: New policy on body camera footage in police shootingsNelson announced Monday, that Duval, Clay and Nassau counties will release footage from police shooting within 30 days, unless the state believes it will hinder a case. Watch Rumlins interview below for more on what the NAACP wants to see happen in the city:

One of the worst days he can recall was Aug. 27, 1960, a day we know as Ax Handle Saturday. So thats what prompted me to join the NAACP Youth Council.At the age of 23, Yates joined the NAACP Youth Council and then became its vice president. This photograph provided by Yates shows a mob of men, some wielding ax handles and other implements against peaceful protesters, on Ax Handle Saturday. After we had been seated for a few minutes, evidently one of them had spotted us and he yelled to the group and a large group of them came charging into the store, Yates recalled. These days, when Yates reflects on his time as a peaceful protester, he fondly remembers the time he spent serving the NAACP Youth Council.

“Perhaps that one day, Ax Handle Saturday, was the first time that I really felt true fear,” she said. Among the peaceful protesters were Youth NAACP President Rodney Hurst, Vice President Alton Yates and Meeks Brown, the group’s secretary. “No one backed away,” Meeks Brown said. “No one backed away.”As a child, Meeks Brown lived at the intersection Moncrief Road and 30th Street. Photograph of a young Marjorie Meeks Brown (Courtesy of Marjorie Meeks Brown)“There’s a swimming pool for whites only,” she remembered.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Floridas largest teachers union has been joined by the NAACP in its lawsuit seeking to keep schools closed. That lawsuit will go before a judge Wednesday who will decide whether a state order requiring in-person learning in all 67 counties by the end of August is constitutional. Ron DeSantis, the Department of Education and Commissioner Richard Corcoran over the order arguing that the order is unconstitutional given that school districts are run by elected boards. School districts are being pressured with this zeal to open schools without regard for the continuing expansion of the pandemic, attorney Ron Meyer said. More than a dozen school districts -- including Baker, Bradford, Charlton and Union counties -- opened last week.

NEW YORK Tyler Perry has won awards from the NAACP and BET. Now he's getting a big one from the Television Academy: He and his foundation are the recipients of the 2020 Governors Award. Tyler Perry has changed the face of television and inspired a new generation of content creators. He pioneered a new brand of storytelling that engages people of color both in front of and behind the camera, and his shows have resonated with a global audience, said Governors Award selection committee Chair Eva Basler in a statement. The award honors an individual or organization in the television arts and sciences whose achievement is so exceptional and universal in nature that it goes beyond the scope of annual Emmy Awards recognition.Previous recipients of the Governors Award include Star Trek, American Idol, Masterpiece Theater and Comic Relief.

12 year-old Keedron Bryant gets recording deal after singing song written by his momPublished: June 18, 2020, 10:54 pmWarner Records is donating 100 percent of the net profits of the song to the NAACP.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Riding the wave of racial justice protests, Florida Democrats are calling for an end to the disenfranchisement of black Floridians ahead of the 2020 election. Felons voting rights and the states clemency process are at the center of their demands. Democrats also want DeSantis to revamp the states clemency process, which currently has a waiting list of 17,000. Restoration of rights for black Floridians is the lowest in half a century. Governor DeSantis and the clemency board must fix this shattered system that unfairly punishes black Floridians and denies them their constitutional rights, said Davis.

The NAACP held a virtual town hall meeting Wednesday night after more than a week of peaceful protests, violent riots and the arrests of police officers in the death of George Floyd. Demmings said police departments need to change from the inside out and that all neck restraints should be banned. “We need to make it clear, we’re talking about much more than choke holds, we’re talking about neck restraints, restraints above the shoulders of any kind,” Demmings said. Prosecutors charged three more police officers Wednesday in the death of George Floyd and filed a new, tougher charge against the officer at the center of the case. A full autopsy of Floyd was released Wednesday, providing several clinical details, including that Floyd had previously tested positive for COVID-19.

NAACP calls for investigation into ‘history of inequality’Published: May 19, 2020, 5:15 pmVIDEO: The Atlanta branch of the NAACP is calling for an investigation into a “history of inequality” in Glynn County following the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.

Delaitre Hollinger, the immediate past president of the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP, visits the Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee, Fla., on Dec. 17, 2019. Hollinger says the slaves buried at the country club deserve to have their dignity restored. (AP Photo/Bobby Caina Calvan)TALLAHASSEE, FL – The rumors swirled for decades: A dark history long lay buried under the grassy knolls and manicured lawns of a country club in Florida's capital city. A huge swath of the property became the Capital City Country Club, now an 18-hole golf course in one of Tallahassee's most sought-after communities. “A hundred years ago when the golf course was constructed there was certainly no technology to decipher what was or wasn't here," he said during a recent visit to the country club.

The move came just moments after a City Council meeting ended with JEA’s Chief Executive on the hot-seat. “It’s definitely not illegal laws we followed all laws and ethics code,” JEA CEO Aaron Zahn told News4Jax following the meeting. Just recently people became aware that a million dollars in purchases of those “units” would pay 300-times that amount if JEA was sold. And if there’s a breach of trust you shouldn’t be running JEA,” said councilmember Rory Diamond. Mullaney said the perceived violation of public trust is an appropriate topic for a grand jury to investigate.

Bridgette Davis mother ran numbers. Growing up in Detroit, Bridgette knew to keep it a secret. But in her new book, The World According to Fannie Davis, Bridgette documents the underground lottery business her mother ran in the 1960s, when what she was doing was illegal. From the time I was born, my mom was running numbers, Davis told InsideEdition.com. People would play bible verse numbers, numbers theyd seen in dreams, or whatever they thought would get them lucky.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - One of two men freed after four decades behind bars for a crime they didn't commit was honored Thursday evening. The NAACP Jacksonville Branch presented an award to Williams, thanking him for his stand for righteousness and justice. "I'm glad my daddy right here -- free," Warren Rozier, Williams' son, told News4Jax on Thursday night. A spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office told News4Jax told that Myers is eligible for the compensation under Florida statute. Williams said the fight isn't over:"Like my dad said, we down but we not out," said Warren Rozier, Williams' son.

Over the next few days, white mobs stormed the streets attacking blacks indiscriminately. Scores of black men and women were killed that year in racial violence. "Overwhelmingly, it was whites attacking blacks," Krugler told CNN. "The Red Summer doesn't fit into the stories we tell ourselves about US history," Krugler says. Blacks across the country set up armed self-defense patrols to protect the communities the police failed to protect, Krugler says.

We strongly condemn this behavior by any and all officers of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, who are all sworn to protect and serve our communities. READ: Full statement from NAACP Jacksonville Branch |RAW: Video shows takedown after Westside standoffAccording to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the incident will receive a standard review by the Response to Resistance Board. News4Jax has learned one officer involved had a body camera and has requested that video from the Sheriff's Office. Isaiah Rumlin, head of the Jacksonville branch, told News4Jax on Tuesday he wants the state to intervene because he feels the officer's actions were unacceptable. The state attorneys office said it is waiting for JSO to review it and if JSO thinks there is a problem, then it will investigate.

The head of the Jacksonville's NAACP believes the officer's actions was unacceptable. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – One day after being dismissed from his job, a Brunswick public defender said he’s going on a hunger strike to bring attention to corruption in his judicial circuit. Standing in front of his Brunswick law office, Gough had a strong message for the man who dismissed him as public defender. For those who don’t know, Gough said his hunger strike will be proof. The Georgia Public Defender Council said it’s not making a comment. He expects the Public Defender Council to take up the issue on May 13.