W.E.B. Du Bois presents 'An Appeal to the World,' the NAACP's petition charging the United States with denying Black citizens their human rights, to the UN.
At a Glance
- Date
- 23 October 1947
- Location
- New York, New York
- Key people
- W.E.B. Du Bois
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- An Appeal to the World (1947) · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
It internationalized the struggle against American racism at the dawn of the Cold War.
What It Means Now
The petition foreshadowed later human-rights framing of civil rights.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The NAACP Petitions the United Nations.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-naacp-petitions-the-united-nations/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The NAACP Petitions the United Nations. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-naacp-petitions-the-united-nations/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The NAACP Petitions the United Nations.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-naacp-petitions-the-united-nations/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.