Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney shakes hands with people during a campaign event in front of the Bavarian Inn Lodge on June 19, 2012 in Frankenmuth, Michigan. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Hill is reporting that Mitt Romey’s campaign has announced that the presidential hopeful will address the crowd at the NAACP annual convention in Houston Texas on July 11th. The NAACP convention has been a critical campaign stop for Republican candidates over the past few years.

Both Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former president George W. Bush have attended the convention. The annual convention is a forum to establish policies and programs for the upcoming year:

Mitt Romney will address the NAACP’s national convention in Houston next month, a rite of passage for presidential hopefuls vying for the White House.

Romney will speak on July 11, the second to last day of a six-day conference, according to the Romney campaign.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) attended the organization’s meeting in Cincinnati in July 2008, and President George W. Bush spoke at a 2006 summit after drawing fire for declining an invitation during the 2004 campaign.

President Obama spoke at the organization’s 100th convention in 2009, and First Lady Michelle Obama gave a keynote address in 2010.

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