Celebrating A Culture of Activism: Key Moments from the 112th NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner

Written by Leyah Jackson

The Cleveland Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) celebrated its 112th branch anniversary with their annual Freedom Fund Dinner on Saturday, June 29th. The theme of this year’s dinner was “Celebrating A Culture of Activism”.

The organization celebrated a year of advocacy and service with the evening’s keynote speaker, seven awardees, four unsung heroes, and three scholarship recipients. The event, held downtown at Hotel Cleveland, formerly Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, and featured Channel 3 News anchor Danita Harris as the night’s emcee. There was a prayer of unity and performance of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, which was followed by the  presentation of awards and dinner. The evening concluded with an after-party where attendees were able to conversate and celebrate with friends. 

The evening celebrated the progress that has been made, and that will continue to be made in the future by the NAACP. Among the distinguished guests were Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and former Mayor Frank Jackson. Several awardees were honored at the dinner, including Kevin Kearney from Aramark as Corporate Honoree, Justice Melody Stewart with the President’s Award,  and Hilton O. Smith received the Freedom Fund Award. Jennifer Coleman and Tony F. Sias each received the Community Leadership Award, while Marques Hillman Richeson and Shanelle Smith Whigham were honored with the Rising Leadership Award. Additionally, Ramona Lowery, Robert L. Render III, Dana Capers, and Terri Bradford Eason were named unsung heroes for their contributions to the community. 

 The Freedom Fund Dinner was well-attended with over 850 guests, which allowed the NAACP to raise $375,000. The money raised will go directly towards scholarships, community outreach, legal support, and educational initiatives. Amongst the many awards given, there were also two scholarships that were awarded. Helen McClure received the George L. Forbes Scholarship, while Nehemia Jackson and Dimariz Franquis each received The Honorable Carl B. Stokes Scholarship Fund.

The theme, “Celebrating A Culture of Activism” was woven throughout the evening. Communications specialist and journalist  Jeff Johnson was the keynote speaker for the event. Johnson is a Cleveland native, well-known for his positive impact on the Black community as a Managing Director at Actum, LLC., a leading global strategy firm. Prior to this role he served as the National Director for the Youth & College Division of the NAACP and hosted a late-night talk show on BET.

In his speech, Jeff Johnson challenged the audience to reimagine impact. He posed the question, “What determines whether or not people’s lives are actually transformed?” Johnson’s speech focused on the impact of activism and leaders of movements, proposing that leadership is not about ownership, it is about preparing someone to come after you. Johnson ended his speech encouraging the audience to create a goal that was so outlandish that you know you will need help from others in order to achieve it. Because through collaboration we can create impact and successfully commit ourselves to activism.

This year’s Freedom Fund Dinner was a beautiful event of Blackness, power, leadership, and impact. The event instilled resilience and strength into its audience to push forward with activism and actively create leadership and power within the Black community, and equality and justice for the community.

Leyah Jackson is a rising high school senior participating in the Clenagers program, our journalism training internship experience.