The 100 Year History of the Albuquerque NAACP (1915-2015): Events that Changed Albuquerque

Josef Powdrell, 22nd President of the Albuquerque chapter of the NAACP
Josef Powdrell, 22nd President of the Albuquerque chapter of the NAACP

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 2:00 pm, Josef Powdrell, who served as 22nd president of the Albuquerque chapter of the NAACP, will present the history of the Albuquerque NAACP and the events that Changed Albuquerque.

The local chapter of the NAACP was formally recognized on January 5, 1915, after another civil rights group, the Independent Society of New Mexico, decided to affiliate with the NAACP in order to be able to ally with a larger organization with a national reach. The national NAACP began in 1909.

The program will be held at the Albuquerque Museum in Old Town. Parking is free in the lot south of the Museum. Admission to the Museum and the AHS program is free.

Speaker Josef Powdrell is a longtime local resident active in neighborhood, business, education, and civil rights efforts. He is a graduate of Albuquerque HS and UNM with an M.A. Degree in Education from California State University, Fresno. He helped begin the annual Juneteenth celebration and is past-president of the NAACP. He was honored by the UNM Alumni Association’s Black Chapter as a “Living Legend” in 2012. Active in the African American Cultural Center and Museum, Powdrell has researched the role of black athletes at NM’s colleges and universities.