Honoring History Through Action: NYCHA NAACP Branch Turns Black History Month into Ongoing Community Impact

Founded more than a century ago as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, today’s NAACP observes Black History Month each February via a variety of compelling programs and celebrations.

In that same spirit, the NAACP’s branch at NYCHA led and hosted a range of Black History Month observances this February, many serving as launch points for programming that will continue throughout the year —programming aimed at educating, uplifting, and connecting participants to history and to opportunities.

“We have done – and are still doing — so much for and with Black History Month this year,” said Lynn Spivey, President of the NYCHA NAACP branch since 2010. “For us, it’s about honoring our history while continuing to do that same kind of work, to improve people’s lives both now and in the future.”

Branch activities officially began on February 12 with NAACP Founders’ Day, commemorating the organization’s beginning in 1909. To mark the occasion, the branch partnered with youth members to launch History or Cap, a live social media program streamed twice weekly on TikTok and Instagram.

The interactive game invited participants to decide whether historical statements were true — “history” — or false (“cap,” a slang term popular among younger contestants). Participants joined broadcasts from home and competed in real time while learning about Black history and the NAACP’s central place within that legacy.

“We want to meet folks where they are,” Ms. Spivey said. “Our younger people are already on these platforms, so we joined them there, to use that interactive online space as a place to teach history in a way that feels fun and accessible to them.”

“We wanted residents to have information and resources come right to them, where they live,” Ms. Spivey said. “Health education is empowerment, and empowerment is what this work is all about.”

Education also took center stage in February with the launch of the branch’s Just Read literacy program, which will run from February through June of this year. Designed for students from kindergarten through fifth grade, the program offers twice-weekly sessions focused on phonics, comprehension, and foundational reading skills.

“Our education chair is a teacher; she wanted to create a program to honor Black History Month that really supports children who need extra help with reading,” Ms. Spivey explained. “Improving kids’ literacy early on can change everything for them later on.”

Residents also gathered on February 8, even before the month’s official programming kickoff, for a Black History Month-centered gathering entitled Canvas of Change: The Power of the Brush and the Ballot, a paint-and-sip fundraiser combining artistic expression with civic dialogue.

“We talked about how we can increase voter participation and build collective power,” Ms. Spivey said. “Art-making helped create a relaxed space where people could then also have important conversations about civic responsibility.”

Remarkably, the branch’s signature Black History Month event took take place in March this year. The Annual Black History Month Awards Ceremony — postponed due to February’s multiple snowstorms — was celebrated on March 18th at 90 Church Street. The occasion honored NYCHA employees, community leaders, union representatives, and NAACP partners whose work has made a lasting difference in residents’ lives this past year.

The Annual Black History Month Awards event was postponed due to
February’s multiple snowstorms and finally celebrated on March 18th at 90 Church Street.
(Check back here for event photos – coming shortly!)

“We simply had to recognize the great people who are really doing the work, every day, for our communities,” Ms. Spivey said. “They don’t always get the spotlight, but they are the heart of NYCHA. They truly deserve our thanks and to be celebrated.”

“Celebrating Black History Month every year is important,” Ms. Spivey added. “But every February’s observance is really also just a starting point. Our goal is to create programs that continue to serve – and celebrate – this beautiful community all year long.”