RUTLAND — The Rutland Area Branch of the NAACP will host its Fourth Annual Freedom Fund Dinner on Saturday, October 22nd. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner starts at 6 p.m., and the program ends at 9 p.m. The event will be held at the Franklin Conference Center, One Scale Ave Suite 92, Rutland, VT 05701. It is semi-formal, and dinner will be served.
Bor Yang, Executive Director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission, will be the keynote speaker. Yang will speak about the cost of racism, advocacy, and what we pay to seek justice. Yang has extensive experience as a lawyer in different capacities, especially in service to underrepresented communities, including indigent clients and victims of domestic violence.
The dinner will also honor several local heroes who have made a commitment to action in our communities. These people have dedicated service to the advancement, education, and prosperity of people of color in Vermont and exemplify the meaning of action.
Two of these honorees, whose leadership in the realm of social justice has been recognized on state and national levels, will be presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Senator Patrick Leahy will receive the award for his dedication to the advancement of civil rights action through politics, and Dr. Lydia Clemmons, Executive Director of the Clemmons Family Farm, will be honored for nurturing African-American and African diaspora culture across Vermont.
“This year’s event theme is ‘The Power of Us’, and as we recognize the many people in our communities who have moved the needle toward justice, it is important to recognize that each of us has the power to make change in a world full of inequities,” said Mia Schultz Rutland Area NAACP president Mia Schultz. “We hope this inspires others to tap into that power,”
This year local legend François Clemmons will perform. Maestro Clemmons has been part of many illustrious opera and orchestra productions, received a GRAMMY award, founded The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College—and of course, played the iconic Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He will also be presented with a Community Service Award for his decades of mentorship in the community.
More details, tickets, and sponsorship information are available at www.naacprutland.org/ffd.
The Rutland Area branch of the NAACP serves Vermonters in Bennington, Rutland, and Addison counties by providing education, advocacy, and support around issues of racial justice, equity, and discrimination.
