The annual Freedom Fund Dinner is back. The NAACP Dane County Branch fundraisier is returning for the first time since 2019 on Saturday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. at the Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club in downtown Madison.
The Freedom Fund is the primary fundraiser for the NAACP Dane County Branch, an all-volunteer organization, and supports the civil rights and social justice programs of the organization. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme for this year’s event is “Unity Is Power.”
“The theme reflects the Branch’s position as we face unprecedented attempts reflects to suppress the constitutional rights of citizens to vote by forces inside and outside of Wisconsin,” says NAACP Dane County Branch President Greg Jones in a statement. “We oppose those who are still attempting to decertify our votes from the 2020 election. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has set the stage to suppress our vote by banning the use of ballot drop boxes, adopting redistricting maps that are highly gerrymandered, and the Federal Supreme Court overturned an established law issued in 1973 that gave women the right to control their own bodies.
“We believe that it is critical for members, allies, supporters and friends to join together [so] we can end the tactics of suppression and make America live up to her promise,” he continues. “Beyond the act of voting – as we all watch Black men executed by the police on the nightly news and watched Congressional hearings featuring rioters breaching our nation’s capitol during the January 6 insurrection – one thing is clear: America must come together and vote like never before. The NAACP remains committed to educating, facilitating and expanding voter turnout for the upcoming 2022 elections. We have joined with ‘Souls to the Polls’ and others to put this work into action because nothing can be taken for granted.”
(l-r) Ramatoulie Barry, EJ Van de Grift, Hunter Stephenson, and Ancha Barry at the 113th national convention held in Atlantic City, N.J.
At the event, the NAACP Dane County will also recognize their ACT-SO participants, talented youth who represented the Madison area in the 2022 National ACT-SO Competition in July in Atlantic City, N.J.
For tickets to the 2022 Freedom Fund Dinner, click here. Each ticket will include a one-year membership to the NAACP Dane County for new members (adult or youth) or a one-year membership extension for current members.
