The Salisbury-Rowan branch of the NAACP will host its 17th Annual Harvest Banquet at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Holiday Inn.
The banquet is the major fundraiser for the local NAACP branch and funds its annual college scholarships to area high school students, youth activities, required training for branch officers and general operations.
The theme for this yearís celebration is ěAffirming Americaís Promise.î James L. ěJimî Felder is the keynote speaker. A native of Sumter, S.C. and current resident of Columbia, S.C., he is past president of the Columbia branch of the NAACP.
Felder holds a bachelorís degree from Clark Atlanta University, a masterís degree from Atlanta Law School and a law degree from Howard University School of Law.
As a sergeant in the U.S. Army in 1963, Felder headed the team that carried the casket of assassinated President John F. Kennedy. A book he wrote about that time, ěI Buried John F. Kennedy,î will be on sale at the event.
After returning to South Carolina, Felder directed the SC Voter Education Project, and during an 18-month period, he coordinated a statewide registration drive that added more than 200,000 black residents to the voter rolls. He was a signer of ěAn Appeal for Human Rights,î the document that launched the Atlanta sit-in.
He has held positions as executive director of Project T-Square, executive vice president of Operation Push in Chicago, professor and chairman of the Department of Business and Economics at Allen University and executive director of the South Carolina Conference of NAACP Branches.
He is president and CEO of the S.C. Voter Education Project and president of Lee Associates Inc.
Music will be provided by ěMoments Notice.î This yearís scholarship winners will be announced.
Tickets are available for $60 apiece. For tickets or more information, call 704-636-8461, 704-640-1540 or 704-640-8803..