FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2018
Contact: Anna Richards, President, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP Branch
President5689@gmail.com 206-954-4273
Le Roi Brashears, NAACP Branch Communications
leroibrashears@gmail.com 253-347-5742
CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO NAACP BRANCH CLOSES IN ON 2018 ANNUAL BANQUET;
THEME IS CHANGING THE GAME; ANITA EARLS KEYNOTE SPEAKER
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Chapel Hill-Carrboro branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will hold its annual banquet 6 PM, Saturday, April 28, at the Sheraton Hotel, located at 1 Europa Drive in Chapel Hill.
The event, the branch’s major annual fundraiser, features Anita Earls, founding executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, as keynote speaker. Atrayus O. Goode, award-winning mentor, motivational speaker and public servant will serve as master of ceremonies.
NAACP Branch President Anna Richards said the event is key to increasing the reach and influence of the NAACP. “North Carolinians see voting rights and access to justice under constant attack and they want to take action—that’s why our membership is growing and why Anita Earls is such a great choice as our keynote speaker.”
Earls has taught at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland, and has served on the Equal Access to Justice Commission and the state Board of Elections. She has also played a major role in lawsuits challenging North Carolina’s redistricting plans, voter ID law and other voting restrictions.
“Courts agree that the state legislature and our former governor have used racial gerrymandering to nullify the voting power of large swaths of North Carolina’s citizens,” Earls said. “That’s why I and many others have fought so hard in the courts to restore bias-free elections—but the fight goes on.”
Earls has stepped away from her role with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice to run for a State Supreme Court seat and had agreed to speak at the NAACP event before announcing she was running for that position. The NAACP’s Richards says the NAACP does not endorse candidates for political office.
Richards said the event is nearly sold out but some tickets remain. People interested in attending can buy tickets online at https://www.chapelhillcarrboronaacp.com/
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