The Oranges & Maplewood N.A.A.C.P Celebrates 100 Years, April 12, 2013

 THE ORANGES  & MAPLEWOOD NAACP BRANCH

NAACP ORANGES & MAPLEWOOD FREEDOM FUND DINNER MARKS A PROUD LEGACY OF PIONEERING LANDMARK ACHIEVEMENTS AT ITS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.

LEGENDARY ENTERTAINER DIONNE WARWICK TO SERVE AS HONRARY CHAIR

Orange, N.J., February, 2013 -- A century of pioneering landmark achievements will be celebrated at the annual NAACP Oranges’ Maplewood Branch Freedom Fund Dinner. The gala event will be held on Friday, April 12, 7:00 p.m-12a.m., at the Grove Banquet Facilities located at 691 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, New Jersey.  Legendary pop music icon and entertainer Dionne Warwick will serve as Honorary Chairperson.  Tickets are $150 per person. For further details and information about sponsorship opportunities contact Mary Puryear at: mypuryear@gmail.com or orangesandmaplewoodnaacp@aol.com or by calling 973-675-5325. The ticket price includes an open bar and dinner.  A silent auction will also be held.  For directions visit the Grove website at: www.thegrovenj.com.

The theme of the centennial celebration “Forward Together, Backwards Never, affirms a proud legacy of hard – fought achievements to the communities served by the state’s oldest branch and will honor the enduring contributions of the unit’s founders and leaders.  Christine Carter will serve as keynote speaker for this year’s festivities. Ms. Carter is the founder and CEO of The Against All Odds Foundation; a national nonprofit 501(c)3 comprehensive services agency based in Newark, NJ. Ms. Carter is described as a real- life 'Superwoman' and was the subject of a recent Star Ledger profile story about New Jerseyians who make a difference.  Carter has used her life's struggles as an abused orphan & homeless youth as incentive to achieve personal and professional success and to reach back to aid underserved individuals and families in the greater Newark area through her foundation.

 The event will also serve as a platform to strengthen and renew the civil rights organization’s commitment to its mission while preparing for the challenges that lie ahead in its quest to obtain justice and equality across all sectors of contemporary society. The Oranges and Maplewood Unit of the NAACP, represents 11 municipalities; they include: East Orange, Orange, West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Verona, Nutley, Bloomfield, Belleville, Livingston and Millburn.

 The branch or unit’s legacy of achievement places it at the forefront of transformative change in its efforts to secure equal protection under the law in housing, education, the workplace and public accommodations. 

 A century ago, the Citizens of Orange and East Orange were sincerely and deeply motivated to seek justice and equal opportunity through the collective skills and services of a newly - birthed civil rights organization The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that had been founded three years earlier. The founders of the Oranges’ and Maplewood Unit were women and men who believed in a just society.

 The NAACP Oranges’ Maplewood Unit is committed to the mission that guides this great organization to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.  As the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the country, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans.

Direct all media inquiries to:

Lolita Turner at 973-652-2990/loturn@aol.com

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