NAACP National President and CEO Derrick Johnson headlines Lansing NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner

The event will also feature college scholarship awardees, NAACP Youth

The National NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson will serve as the keynote speaker for the Lansing Branch NAACP 57th Freedom Fund Dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel located at 925 S. Creyts Road in Lansing. The event, themed “Thriving Together” will be the first in-person fundraiser for the branch since its 100th Celebration in 2019, just prior to the country battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Born in Detroit, Johnson has been president of the NAACP since 2017. He attended Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS, and earned his JD from the South Texas College of Law in Houston. He previously served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors as well as state president for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. As president and CEO, Johnson has taken firm positions against policies and actions that negatively affect black people including health care disparities, voter suppression laws, and most recently the U.S.

Supreme Court’s decision on Affirmative Action, limits the right to consider race in college admissions. Johnson accused the conservative-leaning court of “[bowing] to the personally held beliefs of an extremist minority and called the ruling a “willful ignorance of our reality.” “It is truly going to be an awesome event as we hear from our National President and CEO Derrick Johnson,” said Harold A. Pope, Lansing Branch NAACP President and Freedom Fund Dinner Chair. “We are looking forward to the Greater Lansing area joining us as we thrive together to ignite change, unite communities, and build a future where freedom knows no bounds,” said co-chair Fonda Brewer.

During the event, the Lansing Branch NAACP will recognize six students who were awarded college scholarships based on their academic performance. This event will also feature a special presentation by the Lansing Branch NAACP Youth, whose membership has grown from six members to 87 members in two years. For more information, visit naacplansing.org/57th-freedom-fund.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.