NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- One of the nations oldest civil rights organizations, which founded in Western New York, had its state convention in Niagara Falls Saturday.

"Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? Chaos or community?" said Leon Russell, NAACP National Chairman.

That's the question Russell says he's heard numerous times since taking office in February. Saturday he posed that same question to members at the NAACP's state convention in Niagara Falls.

"My response is why do you ask that question? You act like this is something new," he said. "You act like this is something new from where we have not been, but I would remind you, a people who do not know their history are destined to repeat it."

As one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations, Russell says the group has always been at the forefront of protecting and fighting for the rights of all people. However, he says they're concerned the Trump administration is attempting to turn back the clock on years of progress.

"There are policies that are being rolled back every day, whether it's looking at the issue of can a woman have her pharmaceuticals paid for under the Affordable Care Act?" Russel said. "Can the Equal Opportunity Commission continue to enforce the Civil Rights Laws? He is rolling back policies across the board and we have to be out there fighting against it all."

Russell says the key to combating it is civic engagement. He says communities need to be engaged on every level: national, state and local.

"Now it's time for us to fight, it's time for us to engage, it's time for  us to educate the voters, because we cannot let another go by, mid-term or presidential election go by, without the voices being raised and without people getting out to vote,"  said Rev. Mark Blue, NAACP Buffalo Chapter president.     

"Elections matter and that to me is the most significant thing that we have to do for people is to educate them about the importance of civic participation," said Russell.

The convention wraps up Sunday.