The Zanesville and Muskingum County NAACP will host its 52nd annual Freedom Fund Banquet at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, at the Muskingum County Conference and Welcome Center in Zanesville, the branch announced.
The banquet is themed “Zanesville Rising: Building Power Through Community” and will focus on community partnerships, civic engagement and efforts to advance justice, equity and opportunity, according to the community announcement.
Danielle L. Sydnor, a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, will be the featured speaker. Sydnor also serves as president and executive director of The Presidents’ Council, an organization focused on Black business growth and economic opportunity in Northeast Ohio.
The program will include musical entertainment by Zanesville vocalist Rachel Parker and recognition of former branch presidents Kenneth T. Burker and the late Philip W. Newman, honoring the leaders who carried the branch through earlier years.
The Zanesville and Muskingum County NAACP, Unit #3209, was reactivated approximately a year and a half ago. Since then, its work has included voter registration and education, the Feed the Streets initiative, support for Black-owned businesses, community conversations and civil rights advocacy through its Legal Redress Committee.
Proceeds from the banquet will support local NAACP programs involving civil rights advocacy, youth and education, voter engagement, economic empowerment, legal redress and community service in Muskingum County.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at bit.ly/52Freedom. For more information, organizers can be reached by email at muskingumcountynaacp@gmail.com. The Freedom Fund Banquet is the branch’s signature annual fundraiser, and Saturday’s event marks its 52nd year in Zanesville.
Photo: David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0