Three days of civil rights policy talk, fundraising, and borderland history kick off this week as the Texas NAACP holds its 89th Annual State Convention at the Hotel Paso Del Norte in downtown El Paso, running from Thursday through Saturday. The gathering doubles as the state organization's biggest annual fundraiser and a chance for delegates from across Texas to set the agenda on voting rights, education, and economic opportunity for the year ahead.
According to the Texas NAACP, the convention leans on this annual event to fund its ongoing legal advocacy and community programming throughout the year. Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, who has led the state conference since his election in 1991 and has sat on the NAACP National Board of Directors since 2003, framed the stakes simply: the convention, he said, is about strengthening the work done across Texas, as reported by KVIA. Bledsoe is an Austin civil rights attorney who previously served as acting dean of Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
A Roster Built Around Federal Civil Rights Enforcement
This year's convention carries the theme “Our Fight Is Your Fight: We United Build the Beloved Community,” and KVIA's reporting notes the gathering reflects ongoing civil rights challenges and the need for strong community alliances, arriving as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. The speaker list reads like a who's-who of civil rights law and advocacy: former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, who now serves as NAACP General Counsel, is scheduled to headline the President's Luncheon on Friday. Clarke led the DOJ's Civil Rights Division from 2021 to 2025 before joining the NAACP.
Joining her, per El Paso Inc., are LULAC Texas State Director Gabriel Y. Rosales, Houston NAACP President Bishop James Dixon, historian Will Guzman, and “BlacKkKlansman” author Ron Stallworth — a lineup the outlet describes as bringing together national legal experts, Latino civil rights leaders, and prominent authors under one roof. Keynote duties fall to Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors, who delivers his address at the Texas Heroes Banquet on Friday. Russell has served on the national board since 1990 and was elected board chairman in 2017 after previously leading the Florida State Conference of Branches, according to the Texas NAACP.
Why El Paso: A Border Physician's Supreme Court Legacy
El Paso wasn't picked at random. The city carries a direct line to Dr. Lawrence Aaron Nixon, an El Paso physician and local NAACP leader whose legal challenges to Texas's white primary system produced landmark Supreme Court rulings in Nixon v. Herndon in 1927 and Nixon v. Condon in 1932, according to BlackPast.org. Those victories helped set up the Supreme Court's 1944 ruling in Smith v. Allwright, which outlawed white primary elections nationwide.
Delegates get a firsthand look at that legacy on Saturday, when the convention's official El Paso Black History Tour guides attendees through historic landmarks, cultural sites, and the stories of community leaders who shaped Black history along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Texas NAACP says the tour spotlights African American contributions to El Paso that are often left out of broader Texas history.
Inside the Hotel That's Hosting the Convention
The convention's setting is Hotel Paso Del Norte, a downtown El Paso hotel.
Voting Rights Litigation and Emerging Water Fights
The Texas NAACP filed a federal lawsuit in August 2025 alongside the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, alleging that Texas legislative maps unlawfully diluted majority-minority voting power, according to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The filing concerns redistricting and voting power in the state.
The organization has also moved into newer territory. In September 2026, the Texas NAACP co-launched We The People Texas, a statewide coalition pushing for a pause and review of state water commitments tied to industrial data center development, as reported by KVUE-TV. The coalition's push for a review of water commitments highlights resource-equity questions around industrial data center development.
Programming for Veterans and the Next Generation
Beyond the headline speeches, KVIA reports the three-day schedule includes sessions on policy, advocacy, economic development, and community engagement, with special attention given to active-duty military members, veterans, and young leaders. Skylahr Mimms, president of the Texas NAACP Youth & College Division, has encouraged youth participation in the convention.
The Texas NAACP is inviting organizations and individuals from across the state to take part, with registration and further details available at texas-naacp.org. Those seeking additional convention information can reach Lonzo Kerr at [email protected] or (512) 985-9151.
