The Greenwood Voters League’s annual banquet is a time for celebration and an opportunity for the community to come together, says Sen. David Jordan, the organization’s longtime president.
“We want people to come and have a good time,” he said.
This year’s banquet begins at 7 p.m. Friday at the Leflore County Civic Center. A wine-and-cheese hour will start before at 6 p.m.
This year’s keynote speaker is the Rev. Dr. Isiac Jackson Jr., president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi.
A former teacher, Jackson has also served as justice court judge in Canton and as the drug coordinator for the Canton Public School System.
He has been serving as president of the Missionary Baptist organization since 2010 and was previously its executive secretary. He is the pastor of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Canton.
The banquet will include greetings from Dr. Jerryl Briggs, president of Mississippi Valley State University, and James Johnson-Waldington, interim superintendent for the Leflore County School District.
Jordan said there will be a performance by New Zion Missionary Baptist Church and a re-enactment of the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, the late civil rights activist.
The theme of Friday’s gathering is “We Are Determined to Move Ahead.” For more than a half-century, the Greenwood civil rights organization has worked to make things better, Jordan said.
“We have quite a history. We want to bring more cohesiveness to our community regardless of what race they are, and show that we can make it together.”
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from Jordan at 453-5361 or from Robert Sims, the league’s vice president, at 453-2465. Tickets will also be available at the door.
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
