\u201cWe know our democracy and basic rights are under threat,\u201d said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, who is vacating his U.S. Senate seat, setting up a closely watched contest as Democrats try to flip the chamber. \u201cFighting against injustice and inequality has never been more important.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s dinner, themed \u201cLiberty or Oppression \u2013 The Choice is Ours,\u201d drew more than 1,000 attendees and spotlighted a who\u2019s who of Michigan\u2019s business, government and nonprofit leaders. Speakers included Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield.<\/p>\n
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U.S House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to guests present at the 71st Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner held at Huntington Place on Sunday, April 26.<\/p>\n
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, delivered the keynote address, criticizing a range of Trump agenda items, from the war in Iran to Medicaid cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other side, they\u2019re doing everything they can to tear us apart,\u201d Jeffries said. \u201cBut we\u2019re not here to step back \u2014 we\u2019re here to push back. This country will have a free and fair election in November and, after that, when the gavels change hands, one of the first things we will do is … end the era of voter suppression in the United States once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
NAACP’s call to action<\/p>\n
The event comes as Republicans push proof-of-citizenship requirements at both the federal and state levels, with the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act<\/a> and a Michigan initiative awaiting state review for potential addition to the November ballot after a signature\u2011gathering campaign<\/a>. Voting rights advocates warn such measures could block eligible voters who lack ready access to documents like passports or birth certificates.<\/p>\n Speakers also pointed to a pending Supreme Court case over Louisiana\u2019s congressional map that could significantly weaken a portion of the Voting Rights Act, a key tool against racially discriminatory election rules. They also criticized a recent U.S. Department of Justice demand that Wayne County turn over \u201call ballots\u201d from the 2024 election for federal review \u2014 a request Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have vowed to resist.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson takes a photo with guests Kimberly Ramsey and her son Mavin Beatty III at the 71st Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner on Sunday, April 26.<\/p>\n At a news conference before the dinner, Detroit NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony called the event a call to action to \u201cget involved\u201d and help thwart Trump\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s knocking us right between the eyes,\u201d Anthony said, citing the push for new voting requirements; the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and the removal of national markers recognizing Black history.<\/p>\n \u201cThe call to action is for us to get up, stand up and participate,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we participate nationally like we should, we can turn this thing around.\u201d<\/p>\n NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, a Detroit native, urged city residents to vote, stressing Michigan\u2019s role as a swing state.<\/p>\n \u201cNovember\u2019s election is going to determine whether we have a Congress willing to hold an administration accountable,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWhat happens will be dependent on the residents of the city of Detroit. Your participation determines nationally what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitmer, Sheffield and Slotkin press the stakes Mayor Mary Sheffield speaks to guests on Sunday April 26, 2026 at the 71st Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner at Huntington Place.<\/p>\n Whitmer highlighted what she called eight years of progress in Michigan following the Flint water crisis and decades of disinvestment, citing tax cuts for retirees, lead pipe replacement, road repairs and new union jobs. But she warned that \u201cprogress is precarious\u201d and said conservative efforts to restrict voting are part of a broader attempt to \u201crig the game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing changes if we take a back seat,\u201d Whitmer said. \u201cThe choice between liberty and oppression is really one between apathy and action.\u201d<\/p>\n More: Detroit historian honors Jesse Jackson, explores Black resistance<\/a><\/p>\n Sheffield, the first Black woman mayor in Detroit\u2019s 374-year history, said the dinner theme \u201cspeaks directly to the struggle we are in,\u201d pointing to rising prices, stagnant wages, a widening wealth gap and what she described as eroding civil liberties.<\/p>\n \u201cOur sacred right to vote is under attack, leaving our democracy at risk,\u201d she said, urging Detroiters to organize and act.<\/p>\n U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, framed the issue in starker terms.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fight over the next six months is whether we will have free and fair elections,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we do not fight for them, they will not be here. Please see yourself in that fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Tributes and honors<\/p>\n The dinner was the first since the February death of Rev. Jesse Jackson<\/a>, a frequent headliner of previous dinners, and included a tribute to the civil rights icon.<\/p>\n The NAACP’s Detroit branch also honored Ruby Bridges Hall with the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award. New York Attorney General Letitia James received the Ida B. Wells Freedom and Justice Award. James praised Nessel\u2019s pledge to resist federal requests for Michigan ballot information.<\/p>\n James, Jeffries and others also used their remarks to condemn political violence, a night after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner<\/a> in Washington, reportedly targeting Trump and senior aides<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPolitical violence has no place in society,\u201d James said, adding that while she thanked God that Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other dinner attendees were not hurt, she would continue to \u201cyearn and pray for a compassionate, civil, competent and inclusive government in Washington, DC.\u201d<\/p>\n Violet Ikonomova is a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at vikonomova@freepress.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/677edc8f54504f9447899708f643eb24.jpeg\"\/)
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