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Elizabeth
Warren
as
Keynote
for
Detroit
Branch
NAACP's
62nd
Annual
Fight
For
Freedom
Fund
Dinner
DETROIT
-- One
of the
great
treasures
in the
city of
Detroit,
lies in
the
historic
annual
event
known as
the
NAACP
Fight
for
Freedom
Fund
Dinner.
There is
no other
event in
the
nation
that
brings
together
such a
diversity
of
community
activists,
business,
labor,
corporate,
faith-based,
young
and old,
from
every
vocation
and
station
in life,
in the
numbers
that we
find
here in
the city
of
Detroit.
It
continues
to
provide
a source
of
pride,
networking,
fellowship,
and the
building
of
bridges
across
culture
and
community.
It is
our
pleasure
to
announce
those
special
guests
and
awardees
for the
2017
Fight
For
Freedom
Fund
Dinner.
It is
particularly
significant
at this
very
critical
time in
our
nation’s
history
as we
face
challenges
to
national
health
care,
civil
and
human
rights,
community
policing/racial
sensitivity,
and
public
education,
all at a
cross
road as
it
relates
to
quality
and
accountability.
The
issues
are
great.
The
NAACP,
the
nation’s
oldest
civil
rights
organization,
continues
to stand
at the
forefront
of these
issues.
We
remain
committed
to
preserving
freedom
and
dignity,
not only
for
African
Americans
but
other
people
of color
often
ostracized
or
overlooked
by many,
whether
in the
house of
Congress
or even
at the
White
House.
Among
the
special
award
winners
for 2017
will be
the
recipient
of the
Ida B.
Wells
Barnett
Freedom
&
Justice
Award,
Ms. Joy
Reid,
host of
AM Joy
on
MSNBC.
Ms. Reid
has
demonstrated
not only
excellence
as a
journalist,
but as
one who
speaks
truth to
power,
clarifies
confusion,
spreads
the
gospel
of news,
does her
homework
before
she
appears
on the
air, and
takes no
prisoners
regardless
of party
affiliation
or
philosophical
situations.
She is
an
author
and
former
writer
for the
Miami
Herald
and the
South
Florida
Times
news
outlets.
Receiving
the Mary
Church
Terrell
Award
for
Freedom
&
Justice
Award
will be
former
Acting
U.S.
Attorney
General
Sally C.
Yates.
As you
know,
Attorney
General
Yates
stood
tall and
erect by
refusing
to
defend a
travel
ban
called
for by
President
Trump,
which
she
deemed
as being
unconstitutional
and
against
the
basic
laws of
our
nation.
She also
was
instrumental
in the
forced
resignation
of
National
Security
Advisor
Michael
Flynn,
due to
his
unreported
discussions
of U.S.
Sanctions
with the
Russian
Ambassador.
This
incident
could
possibly
lead to
a
violation
of
theLogan
Act,
which
prohibits
private
citizens
from
interfering
in
diplomatic
disputes.
She
indicated
in a
letter
to her
colleagues
and to
the
White
House,
“I am
responsible
for
ensuring
that the
positions
we take
in court
remain
consistent
with
this
institution’s
solemn
obligation
to
always
seek
justice
and
stand
for what
is
right.”
For this
stand,
she was
fired
from her
post as
acting
Attorney
General
by the
President.
Now for
her
position,
the
people
want to
applaud
her, for
standing
up and
not
succumbing
to this
overbearing
assault
on the
constitution,
caused
by those
in
power,
attempting
to usurp
true
justice
for all
people.
Certainly,
we are
delighted
to
present
one of
two
Great
Expectations
Awards
to the
newly
elected
Vice
President
of the
Detroit
Public
Schools
Board of
Education,
Ms.
Angelique
Peterson-
Mayberry.
Ms.
Mayberry,
who
works
with the
Ford UAW
division
as an
organizer,
educator,
has also
worked
with the
Coalition
for the
Future
of
Detroit
School
Children
in
helping
to
formulate
direction
and
recommendations
for
educational
reform
in the
city of
Detroit.
She was
the #1
vote
getter
in the
recent
election
of new
board
members
for the
Detroit
Board of
Education.
As a
young
woman in
the city
of
Detroit,
she
continues
to be an
outspoken
advocate
both for
workers’
rights,
educational
quality,
and
youth
leadership
development.
The
second
Great
Expectations
Award
will be
presented
to Mr.
Jaren
Johnson,
President
of
Eastern
Michigan
University’s
Black
Student
Union,
and to
Mr.
Darius
Anthony,
President
of the
college
chapter
of the
Eastern
Michigan
University
NAACP.
These
two
young
people
have
been
instrumental
in
calling
out and
drawing
attention
to the
racial
harassment
and
environment
at EMU,
when
others
seem to
ignore
its
reality.
Those of
us in
the
civil
rights
community
sometimes
believe
that
young
people
are not
paying
attention
and are
not
prepared
to carry
the
banner
for
freedom
and
justice
in the
future.
The
students
at EMU
have
demonstrated
not only
from
their
marches,
educational
sit-ins,
and
their
teach-ins,
that
they are
attempting
to
broaden
the
thinking
of
students,
faculty,
administration,
and the
Eastern
Michigan
University
community.
They
have
stood
tall in
the
midst of
these
most
challenging
situation.
They
continue
to speak
boldly
for the
dignity
and
respect
of all
students,
and
particularly
African
Americans
who
attend
Eastern.
Finally,
we are
pleased
to
announce
our
keynote
speaker.
In
looking
for one
who
reflects
the time
that we
are in,
who has
spoken
boldly
about
all
these
issues,
who
continues
to be a
crystal
clear
voice
regardless
of race,
station,
or
location,
who has
made a
history
of
advocating
for the
rights
of
people
regardless
of their
status
in life,
she has
been
their
champion.
She is
an
active
consumer
protection
advocate,
active
in the
financial
oversight
area of
Congress,
active
in
health,
education,
aging,
and
labor
issues,
and
recipient
of
numerous
awards
and
national
acclaim.
We are
very
pleased
to have
as our
keynote
speaker,
even
though,
“She was
warned.
She was
given an
explanation.
Nevertheless,
she
persisted,”
the
senior
senator
from the
great
state of
Massachusetts,
the
Honorable
Elizabeth
A.
Warren.
We will
also
have
special
tribute
and
celebration
to
women.
As this
year has
been
marked
by
mobilization
of
millions
of women
across
the
nation
and the
world
calling
for
justice
and
human
dignity,
there
will be
a
special
historic
tribute
made for
the
unique
role
women
play in
the
acquiring
of
freedom
and
equality
for all
people.
Our
theme
for this
year’s
historic
event is
“A New
Era, The
Same
Cause…Justice!”
We
believe
that
this
line up
of
freedom
fighters,
advocates
for
justice,
and
keepers
of the
flame of
hope,
will
serve as
true
inspiration
for
those of
us in
the city
of
Detroit
and this
region.
The
dinner
will be
held on
Sunday
April
23rd at
5:00 PM,
at Cobo
Convention
Center.
You may
go to
www.detroitnaacp.org
or call
(313)
871-2087
to
secure
you
tickets
and
sponsorship
ads for
the
hottest
and most
significant
event of
this
type for
our
city.
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