CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Clarksville-Montgomery County Branch #5582 of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), hosted their 60th Freedom Fund Banquet Friday, October 30. The annual event is a fundraiser to help the local chapter become a more effective civil rights support organization.
Close to 200 people attended the banquet with the theme, Keepers of the Dream: Pursuing Liberty in the Face of Injustice”. Special guests included Tennessee State Representative Joe Pitts, Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan and members of the Clarksville City Council and Montgomery County Commission.
The guest speaker for the event was Pastor Charles White, Jr., of Gordon Memorial Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Pastor White is a former NAACP National Field Director and Director of the Southeast Region.
A number of people were recognized for their work with the local NAACP branch. Ms. Loretta Morris received a plaque as a lifetime member of the organization. Representative Joe Pitts was recognized for being vice-chairman of the state NAACP convention for 2015.
The President of the Clarksville Branch of the NAACP, Jimmie Garland, Sr., was also recognized for receiving the “Through the Storm” award from the Tennessee Chapter of the NAACP for his efforts in keeping the local branch moving forward.
Long-time member of the Clarksville NAACP Branch, Pastor Jerry Jerkins, was recognized as a recipient of the 2015 “Keeper of the Flame Award” from the national NAACP office. It was pointed out that people from all over the country are nominated but only one is chosen and it was Pastor Jerkins.
Another highlight of the evening came as NAACP President Garland was honored with the “Jerry G. Jerkins Service Award”. The honor came as a complete surprise to Garland and the presenters of the award spoke about how hard they had to work to keep the secret from him.
Garland was visibly moved by the award. “I appreciate the honor of being part of this distinguished group that was up here tonight. You don’t know what it means to have people to appreciate the things you do for them,” said Garland.
To find out more about the Clarksville-Montgomery County NAACP Branch, call 931-216-6745. Learn more about NAACP membership here.