Tanisha Sullivan

The nation’s oldest civil rights organization marked a milestone as the NAACP turned 115 this month.

The NAACP national convention in Boston — its first in the city in 40 years — was celebrated as a point of pride for leaders of local branches of the organization.

Much has changed in Boston since the NAACP last held its national convention in the city, in 1982. Back then, the city had a population that was majority white, a City Council with Bruce Bolling as its only member of color and a mayor whose last name matched his race, Kevin White.

According to the plaintiffs suing the Boston City Council over the redistricting map, the body violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by taking race into account in re-drawing district lines. Lining up in support of the lawsuit are a Who’s Who of Irish American elected officials representing South Boston and Dorchester.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed an executive order creating a new Governor’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment, to which Healey has appointed more than 30 members, tasked with advising the governor “on issues related to the economic prosperity and well-being of Massachusetts’ Black community, including education, health care, housing and workforce development.”

Saturday morning, Tanisha Sullivan was in Mattapan Square, firing up several dozen volunteers to knock doors in support of her campaign for secretary of state. Motivating volunteers on a hot summer morning can be a bit of a lift, but Sullivan had help with U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and state Rep. Russell Holmes rallying the crowd of volunteers.

Thousands of protestors gathered at the Boston Common Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide wave of demonstrations against efforts underway to restrict abortion rights.

Hundreds of ralliers gathered on Boston Common Saturday afternoon in support of the For the People Act, which would counter voter suppression and gerrymandering and limit money’s influence in politics.

Dozens of individuals and representatives of civil rights, voter rights and other advocacy groups testified Tuesday in support of a home rule petition to skip a special election to fill the mayor’s seat soon to be vacated by Martin Walsh.