The NAACP Dane County Branch will hold its annual Freedom Fund Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club in downtown Madison featuring keynote speaker Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet. The theme of the event will be “All In — For Democracy.”
“It’s a part of the national theme. Because if we aren’t engaged, we will lose, and we have a lot at stake,” Gwen Jones, chair of the NAACP Dane County Freedom Fund Committee, tells Madison365. “Democracy is somebody that’s extremely important, and it is what the United States is supposed to be about. If we don’t focus on who we are and what we are, there is an opportunity that we could wake up one day and not be who we are supposed to be … a country founded on democracy. So we are all in … because this is about all of us, not just some of us, and that’s what the NAACP is about.”
Jones stresses that the NAACP is a non-partisan organization. “We are not about telling people who to vote for. We are just asking for people to vote. Exercise your rights,” Jones says. “I personally feel that this is a very special election. This election is going to define the United States for generations to come. What is our country going to look like for our children and for their children?”
The keynote speaker will be Justice Dallet who was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 3, 2018. Before joining the Supreme Court, she served as a judge of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2014. She is a former associate dean of the Wisconsin Judicial College and adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School.
“As we look toward the future, the courts are going to be so critically important going forward, and Rebecca Dallet really speaks to a lot of the things that are going to be important for us,” Jones says. “We thought that she could bring a message that was relevant to our theme. So I’m looking forward to hearing what she has to say.”
The Freedom Fund Dinner is the primary fundraiser for the NAACP Dane County Branch.
“This event will be special because it will be our 10th anniversary event,” Jones says. “Our first Freedom Fund Dinner was held on Saturday, October 18, 2014, and our first speaker was Louis Butler, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.
Channel 3 anchor Kyreon Lee will be the emcee of the upcoming Freedom Fund event.
“The reception will start at 6 p.m. and doors will open a little before that. Tickets are not available at the door so they will need to be purchased in advance. We are looking forward to a really, really good evening,” Jones says. “This event will be very close to the election. If anybody walks into that place who needs a reason to vote, we hope they walk out ready to go.”
“I really do hope people turn out for the Freedom Fund Dinner and that people truly know that the NAACP is all in for democracy and this is who we are at the very core of our organization,” Jones adds.
The 2024 NAACP Dane County Freedom Fund Dinner tickets are available here. Ticket prices are $100 for adults, $75 for young adults (18-25 years old), and $50 for youth (17 and under.)
We invite you to join the passionate advocates and supporters of the NAACP at 6:00pm for a Community Reception, followed by our Dinner Program at 7:00pm.
