In the NAACP, as in other political organizations, women were indispensable but underappreciated. The association had never elected a woman as its executive secretary, and women were often excluded from the informal inner circle of decision makers.2 On the other hand, women formed the backbone of many of the most active local branches, as well as of the national office staff itself. Women's contributions had to be acknowledged, even if they did not translate into formal positions of power.
