From the first NAACP branch in Mississippi that was chartered in 1918, Mississippi's conference has grown into one of the strongest state conferences of the organization in the nation.

With 112 units including branches, college chapters and youth councils, there are currently 11,000 members of the Mississippi Conference of the NAACP.

"Right now we currently have four national board members here in the state of Mississippi. We have the largest number that serves from any state which is four," said James Creer, president of the Kemper County NAACP and assistant treasurer of the state conference.

Creer said the Mississippi Conference for the NAACP has also hit another milestone nationally by having the youngest state president of the organization in the nation. Aside from being president of the state conference, Derrick Johnson is also one of the youngest members to serve on the national board.

Creer says one mission of the organization is to get more young people involved.

"Basically what we're doing to get youth involved, we're asking every branch to make sure that they try to get a youth chapter started," said Creer. "Even though with the election of the first African American president Barack Obama, a lot of young people think that, 'Yeah, we have made it,' but that's not true. We still need young people to get involved to make a difference in their community."

When it comes to getting involved, Creer says as when the NAACP was founded by a mixture of black and white individuals, it's important for people of all races to get involved and work toward the common goal of equality.

"Yes, we've achieved a lot in Mississippi but there's a lot that still needs to be done in Mississippi, especially when it comes to education in Mississippi," Creer said.