DETROIT – The Detroit Branch NAACP hosted a kick-off reception at the Roostertail, Tuesday. The private event officially launched the return of the 66th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner in the fall.
The gathering jumpstarts the planning and ticket purchasing process as the organization works to raise funds for its yearly operations and efforts toward community work and social justice.
Rev. Wendell Anthony in the middle of an economic shutdown and a complete crisis got the corporate community together to raise $22 million for every public-school child,” said, Mayor Mike Duggan.
Duggan was present for the kick-off event to make a ceremonial ticket purchase and recalled how the NAACP leader assembled corporate leaders to peel back the digital divide for Detroit schoolchildren with investment in laptops and Wi-Fi as schools closed last year and pivoted toward virtual learning due to COVID-19. “He told me (Rev. Anthony) COVID is showing the racial disparity that exist in this country and then with the murder of George Floyd, …I think the corporate leaders in this town need to make a personal statement and say this is morally wrong. 11 of the biggest leaders stood up and made a personal commitment. It was a turning point of conscious in this country. I think about the great work that the NAACP does.”
Ray Curry, President of UAW International, was named Senior Community Chair for this year’s Freedom Fund Dinner and Gary Torgow was announced as Senior Corporate Chair. The UAW and Huntington Bank each wrote a check to the NAACP for $150,000.
“The NAACP is the iconic leader of the civil rights movement and in particular in Detroit because Detroit really is in so many ways the home of the civil rights movement, said Gary Torgow, Chairman, Huntington Bank. “Huntington Bank is honored and privileged to join forces with the NAACP to help it continue its great mission.”
The Detroit NAACP views the annual Freedom Fund Dinner as the “bedrock” of its fundraising efforts.
“Our theme this year is, ‘don’t rest on your freedom’ because we cannot rest, as you know what’s happening in the country, said Rev. Wendell Anthony, President, Detroit Branch NAACP. “It’s a way to get people geared up, excited, and start the buzz.”
The annual dinner event has previously hosted Presidents, Congressional members, entertainers, and other prominent leaders as keynote speakers among 10,000 guests. The Detroit Branch NAACP 66th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner returns to the TCF Center on Sunday, October 3, 2021.
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