History of the NCCA
The New Millennium – WCCA Becomes NCCA
Membership growth now included many from other states. The number of wreath-presenters coming from other states grew to twenty. Ceremonies at the national Columbus Memorial now became the focus of a national essay contest sponsored by two other national organizations.
The time seemed ripe to reclaim the title “National Christopher Columbus Celebration” that had been used in the 1970s, and rename the Association to reflect what it had actually become: “The National Columbus Celebration Association.”
At the general membership meeting on June 15, 1999 – two weeks short of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Association, the change was made, to accord with the new reality.
In the following years, a greater concern over maintaining the accuracy of the history of Columbus took center stage. Revisionist accounts started becoming more acceptable in the general community. By mid year 2013, the NCCA agreed to the need to expand the scope of their mission. A new mission was drafted and approved:
To foster an environment for an open and academically sound dialogue on Columbus and the events and accomplishments that surround his name
In an effort to more accurately reflect the broader scope of its educational mission as agreed to by its board, it was renamed the National Christopher Columbus Association on 22 August, 2013.