Fort Harrison Hosts Pasco County NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet

On February 8, the Pasco County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Branch #5630, in partnership with the United for Human Rights (UHR) Florida chapter, held their Freedom Fund Banquet in the Fort Harrison auditorium, located in downtown Clearwater, to raise money for their branch.

Founded in 1909, the mission of the NAACP, one of the country’s oldest civil rights organizations, is to secure political, educational, social and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

Rawsi Williams, an attorney based in Miami, and Christopher King, the president of UHR Florida, both gave inspirational and passionate speeches on social justice, equal rights and being a united community to over 200 fellow members and guests of the Pasco County NAACP.

One guest, Florida House of Representatives District 38 candidate Brian Staver, said the message he got from the event was, “If we unite together we can eliminate racism. We must believe in what we think is the right thing to do—and that includes all cultures.”

After awards and acknowledgements were presented by Pasco County NAACP President Clyde Carter, the event ended with a performance from the Flag Band.

Afterwards, Carter detailed what his next move would be, “My plan is to develop partnerships with all people in order for us to branch out, work together and spread the message to fight against discrimination. We can change the current state of things and make a difference.”