The Conecuh County Branch NAACP will hold its 35th Annual Freedom Fund Awards Dinner Saturday, Nov. 19 at Hillcrest High School in Evergreen. The event will begin at 7 p.m.

Keynote speaker for the dinner will be Dr. Elaine C. Harrington, a retired college professor from Passaic County Community College in Paterson, N.J.

Harrington will be the second NAACP national board member to address the local branch’s Freedom Fund Dinner. She is a native of Tuskegee and has had a distinguished career in education and civil rights. While at Passaic Community College she became dean of students and was elected to the board of education for the Paterson School District.

During her three terms as president of the New Jersey NAACP State Conference, Dr. Harrington gained national attention for her articulate voice and passion denouncing what she called “the peculiar practice” of racial profiling by state troopers and police on New Jersey highways. Dr. Harrington’s focused civil rights activism and committed leadership led to her being elected to the NAACP’s National Board of Directors, where she served on several important committees, including Resolutions, Education, Convention Planning, and Committee on Branches.

As an NAACP Diamond Life Member, Dr. Harrington has traveled extensively across America, speaking for the Association. She often asserts, “Advocacy and activism best describe my DNA, and they inspire me to action on a daily basis.”

Tickets to the dinner are available and can be purchased from community captains or at the Presley-Fluker Funeral Home. The deadline for submitting Patrons and Ads for the dinner is Friday, Nov. 11.