(WXYZ) — A night dedicated to freedom, celebrating those fighting for it and honoring those who paved the way. The 68th annual Fight for Freedom dinner hosted by the NAACP Detroit branch was held Sunday night at Huntington Place downtown.
“My Mom is a lifetime member," said attendee William Trimble of Grand Blanc. "She encourages us to come here on a regular basis, she sells these tickets to us.”
For the first time in 30 years, William and Lisa Trimble are back at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner, where he sees first hand the legacy his mother spent decades helping to create as a lifelong member of the NAACP.
“We're supporting her and we're supporting the NAACP Detroit branch,” William said.
The dinner, in it’s 68th year, is said to be the biggest sit down dinner in the world packing thousands into Huntington Place, formerly known as Cobo Hall.
“We celebrate freedom because of those in the past who paved the way, and for those today who help to continue the way,” said President of the NAACP Detroit Branch Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony.
Hosted by the Detroit branch of the NAACP, it’s attended by prominent leaders in politics and the community. This year's keynote speaker was Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
“It’s great Detroit that you've been coming together like this year after year, decade after decade, because we need to be reminded of the journey,” Sen Warnock told the crowd during his keynote address.
This year, the dinner was a culmination of a June Jubilee weekend, marking 60 years to the day since Dr. Martin Luther King’s Detroit Walk to Freedom. That march in 1963 led more than 100,000 people down Woodward before King gave his first "I Have a Dream" speech at Cobo Hall, the same place the dinner was held Sunday. On Saturday, thousands marched down Woodward to commemorate that walk, including the Trimble family.
“Just being able to have the opportunity first to do it, and secondly seeing all groups of people with all the same values and morals and following Martin Luther King, it was fascinating,” Lisa said.
Whether it’s Dr. King, or William's mother, thousands of people have dedicated their lives to the fight for freedom in the City of Detroit. Now 60 years later, thousands more are doing the same.
“I do think William's mom played an integral part in making sure he continued to know what's going on in the world, and see what's going on today,” Lisa said.
