Our Branch was founded in 1919 by 54 men and women who were committed to racial justice for African American people. According to historian Robert Fikes, these San Diegans had a “fighting spirit” and were committed to the same goals of social justice that inspired the nine founding members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909.

President André J. Branch formerly served as the membership chair for the San Diego Branch and more recently, he served as the Education chair for six years. Dr. Branch is an Associate Professor in the College of Education at San Diego State University, where he prepares credential students, as well as masters and doctoral level students for careers in education. Dr. Branch earned the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Washington, Seattle. His research interests include multicultural education, social studies, and ethnic identity development. One of his recent articles is, “Ethnic Identity Exploration in Education Promotes African American Male Student Achievement.”

In addition to his service as President of the NAACP, Dr. Branch is the director of the SWAG (Students With Academic Goals) Program, a career breakfast mentoring program for middle school male and female students of color. SWAG is a collaborative effort between the NAACP San Diego Branch, the San Diego Unified School District, and San Diego State University. Dr. Branch also directs the GOLD (Guatemala Opportunities in Learning across Distances) Program, a study abroad program for students at San Diego State University.