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NAACP Youth Council protesting hate crimes at the 1999 dinner
NAACP Youth Council protesting hate crimes at the 1999 dinner.

Largest Sit-Down Dinner in the World

For the past 44 years, the Detroit Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has held its major fund raiser, the "Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner." In 1999, this dinner was attended by 10,000 guests, including Vice President Al Gore as the keynote speaker. The event's 1999 theme, "Leveling the Playing Field for the 21st Century,"called for continued focus to fight for equality and opportunity for all citizens of the United States. The dinner, billed as "the largest sit-down dinner in the world," generated a million dollars. The 1998 dinner also attracted 10,000 people, and U.S. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) gave the keynote speech. The Detroit branch is among the most active of NAACP.

This local legacy is documented with 15 photographs, and catalogs from the 44th and 40th Freedom Fund dinners, and an audio tape.

Originally submitted by: John Conyers, Jr., Representative (14th District).



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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.

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