Lynching became one of the first issues the NAACP dealt with.  As one historian writes, "It was through the anti lynching struggles that the NAACP gained much of its stability and recognition, learned how to deal with the complex problems of race in America, and placed itself simultaneously in the vanguard of black activism and at the center of national affairs."*.

One of the first public events in this campaign was the silent protest parade.  It was a success in that brought the association's anti-lynching campaign to the public's attention.