When NAACP delegates from all over the country arrive in Boston for the 114th annual convention in late July, the theme will be “Thriving Together,” but the vibe will be all-inclusive – meaning everyone in Boston is invited to the week-long convention.

Events are all free, and there is no registration required. Leaders said it’s truly a “come on down” type of situation.

The convention will take place from July 26 to Aug. 1 in the Seaport at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), but officials at the kick-off press conference on June 27 in Roxbury’s Bolling Building stressed that the conference is for everybody – and will include some events in Dorchester and Mattapan as well.

Michael Curry, who is a former director of the NAACP Boston branch, stressed that when he was in Boston, he was always adamant about getting “street cats” involved in the NAACP, even recruiting at neighborhood strongholds like Slade’s Bar & Grill. He said that same mindset will be applied to the national convention in that they want representation not only from Beacon Hill, but also from the corner store.

“We need to have Boston show up,” he said. “If people show up it’s because today you walk out of here and decide to bring people with you…Let there not be one aspect of this city that does not get an invitation to come to the Seaport to be part of this convention.”

In a precursor to the convention arriving, Dorchester’s The Davis Systems will coordinate a large community Day of Action project in Dorchester and Mattapan on July 22. That will be in coordination with leaders from the NAACP, Main Streets Districts, community organizations, and the city’s Office of Neighborhood Services.

Beyond that, during the convention, the Hub in the Seaport’s BCEC will function as an open door to these communities and businesses in Boston, according to Tanisha Sullivan, the current NAACP Boston branch president. She noted they have received nearly $4 million in support from government and corporate leadership locally – with a $2 million state budget earmark ushered in by Mattapan State Rep. Russell Holmes and pushed through by House Speaker Ron Mariano and Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, all of whom attended Tuesday’s kick-off.

“We’re just getting started,” Sullivan said. “This convention will make a difference in this city. We will be changed forever for the better. There are too many folks counting on us…I want to echo the invitation and invite everyone to join us.”

The Hub will be host to a career summit on July 28, and a concert that Friday night by DJ Jazzy Jeff, as well as GospelFest held on Sunday headlined by Fred Hammond.
Martha Sheridan, head of the private sector company that markets the city, Meet Boston, said they predict “well in excess of $10 million in direct spending” from the convention being held here.

The convention coming to Boston has had several twists and turns created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The convention was first announced under former mayor Marty Walsh and slated for summer 2020. NAACP leaders said the same level of commitment by Walsh in 2020 to make the convention affordable has been continued under Mayor Wu in 2023.

“Every year I get a new best friend in Boston,” NAACP’s Jesse Turner said, adding that the organization’s delegates are grassroots and need an affordable location. “My new best friend in Boston now is Mayor Wu. That’s because Mayor Wu didn’t make that commitment, but she honored it. They not only honored it, but they also expanded on it.”

Wu said that the city is a changed place from the first convention generations ago, and even since the first attempt to come here in 2020. She said the city is more diverse, and so is its leadership.

“We are infinitely proud to be hosting an organization with such deep roots in Boston’s Black history,” she said. “We’re excited to be hosting…a variety of programming and free events open to the public throughout the summer and especially in the week of the convention – from culture nights to GospelFest to some institutionalized annual traditions we already enjoyed. These are all designed to complement and uplift this year’s convention. We will not be the same Boston after the NAACP convention leaves town.”

The NAACP held its second annual convention at Boston’s Park Street Church in 1911. Boston hosted another convention in 1982.

Curry noted for some time he had been calling on the organization to come back to Boston where the first “chartered” branch of the organization still stands strong. While the leadership had been discussing Nashville as the destination in 2020, Curry made a convincing case, and others stepped up to make sure subsidies were available to make hotels and amenities affordable. Once the affordability aspect was solved by local leadership, he said his other reason for pushing the convention here could be revealed.

“I think when conventions come to cities and states, they require us to dig into our history,” he said. “We need to now revisit that history to give us momentum for all the conversations we’re having about reparations, about criminal justice, housing, education, and you get a sense of pride…Courage will not skip this generation.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson and other leaders talked about national concerns like book banning, rewriting of history, the rights of women, and standing up for immigrants. Each speaker stressed they believe there is a backward current now attempting to run through the country.

“We are in a nation in 2023 where we are dealing with a bunch of people who don’t really want to thrive together or work together and really don’t want to live together,” said Leon Russell, a NAACP board member who is from Florida. “There is an unrelenting attack on telling the real history of Black folk in America because some folks say you don’t need to be awake to that. In my state (Florida) they say it is where woke goes to die. However, when we come to Boston in July, we are going to wake this place up.”

Added President Johnson: “We are in a global economy; no longer should we be fighting local, parochial fights about identity. Identity and culture wars will kill this democracy…We must thrive together. The cover up of America’s dark past must be stopped…We invite the community in Boston across all cultural relationships to join us in that fight.”

More announcements about topics at the convention, and other keynote speakers (perhaps some big names, leaders said) will be forthcoming as the convention nears.