“The Fierce Urgency of NOW” is this year’s theme of the 74th annual Freedom Fund Banquet, the NAACP Bucks County’s annual fundraising event.
The event’s keynote speaker is Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis.
“We chose Lt. Gov. Austin Davis because he embodies our theme, ‘The Fierce Urgency of Now.’ At a time when many are feeling fatigue, his presence as Pennsylvania’s first Black lieutenant governor, represents both progress and possibility,” said Adrienne King, president of the Bucks County Branch of NAACP.
Davis, who grew up in McKeesport, Allegheny County, is Pennsylvania’s youngest lieutenant governor.
King said while considering this year’s banquet theme, the team wanted to tap into some present leaders currently in positions to help provide direction.
“That’s what we’re hoping, that he’ll light the flame we want to [see] and get engagement and forward” facing momentum, King said.
The Freedom Fund Banquet is the NAACP’s largest annual fundraising event. Proceeds support local work for civil rights, public safety, education, voter engagement and community empowerment.
King said each NAACP branch across the country had been charged with shaping this year’s theme to “resonate” locally.
“It’s a very hard time right now and people are thinking…is there anything I can do to make a sizable difference? [Davis’s] leadership and commitment to working across communities makes him an inspiring voice for our members, youth and partners in Bucks County,” she said.
From organizing youth councils in McKeesport to serving in the Pennsylvania State House, Davis leads on key issues including pardons, crime prevention, economic opportunity and government accountability, the Bucks County NAACP press release said.
In his role, Davis presides over the Pennsylvania Senate, and he is the chair of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and leads the local Government Advisory Committee.
King said Davis is a “tireless advocate for equity, justice and opportunity, focusing on criminal justice reform, education and community safety.”
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Davis serves on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council and he is the chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, a position appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“Now is the time. The urgency is real. If you’ve been a spectator, this is the time you don’t want to continue to watch what is going on. It’s urgent you get engaged. We want people to show up – don’t be silent and sit it out,” King said.
To those who are despondent – and don’t believe their vote matters – King hopes the event and others like it will shift the paradigm.
“You have to look outside of yourself and look at the bigger picture. Realize yes, sometimes in the moment you get to feel the impact of how you voted right away, but sometimes it’s carried through,” she explained.
King referenced her own grandmother and great grandmother and the impact voting and activism has made to propel civil rights for the generations that followed.
“I think about my grandmother or great grandmother who took actions from a voting community and didn’t get to live to see the outcome – [new] generations are reaping those benefits,” she explained.
In battleground districts and with razor thin margins, King said this November could be a watershed moment for voters to experience their right to cast a ballot and embrace their voting power as an opportunity to be heard.
“Whether it comes out how you wanted, you still have the power to exercise your vote” and for those who don’t vote in tight elections, “they could have made the difference,” King said.
To purchase tickets visit https://tinyurl.com/478b8hut
What: The Bucks County Branch NAACP 74th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet
When: October 18; social mixer at 6 p.m., program begins at 7 p.m.
Where: PARX Casino Racing, 2999 E. Street Rd., Bensalem.
