The Greenbrier Branch of the NAACP will host their Annual Freedom Fund Dinner on Friday, October 17 at 6:00PM at the Clingman Center in Lewisburg, WV. The dinner is open to all. Tickets for the Freedom Fund Dinner are $40 per person and may be purchased online at Eventbrite.com (search Greenbrier Branch NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner). Tickets may also be purchased by mailing a check to Greenbrier Branch NAACP at 216 Bell Drive, Lewisburg, WV 24901 before October 10, 2025.
The Greenbrier Branch focuses on the NAACP goals of improving and empowering voters through education, on criminal justice reform, on racial health disparities, and on economic inclusion. Each year at our annual dinner, we celebrate people who have shown dedication to our mission of equality and community advancement. This year’s honorees are: Larry Baxter, Naomi and Harvey Cohen as well as Oliver Bus Green and Shalom Tazwell (both posthumously)
Guest speaker will be James E. Griffin show whose address is titled “It is Time For a change.” Mr. Griffin is a native of West Virginia educated in Harrison County public schools, at the former Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg. He attended Fairmont State College where he pursued an education in management development.
Mr. Griffin experienced both sides of the civil rights movement. At the young age of 18, Mr. Griffin served as President of the Harrison County NAACP and was cited as the youngest branch President in the nation. He initiated and participated in the development of the Human Rights Commission in Clarksburg, the North Central Community Action, and the Neighborhood Youth Core where he served on each one of their original board of directors. Mr. Griffin was instrumental in establishing the Opportunities Industrialization Center in Fairmont, an organization that assists minorities and economically disadvantaged people in obtaining their GEDs and with employment opportunities. In 2006, he was selected as Citizen of the Month in Harrison County; then in 2007, he was selected as Citizen of the Year. The Governor of West Virginia honored him for his contribution toward civil rights in 2008. In 2018, Mr. Griffin was awarded the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in Washington D.C.
We are grateful to everyone who has made this event possible. Our Sponsors thus far include: Greenbrier County Health Alliance, City National Bank, Greenbrier Valley Indivisible, Greenbrier County Democratic Women, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Ann and Larry Davis, Tricia Lally, William Turner and Sue Rosshirt, Greenbrier County Historical Society, Kelly Jackson, The Little Black Box, Bella’s, Cathey Sawyer, Mayor Beverly White, Barnwood Builders, Sally and Doug Hurst, Carli Mareneck, Edith’s Store, Patina, Mary Leb and Dr. Bob Foster, Lida Shepherd and Zach Drennan, Lewisburg United Methodist Church, Roger and Sarah Holliday, American Friends Service Committee, Architectural Wood, Naomi and Harvey Cohen, The West Virginia Citizens Action Group (in memory of Shalom Tazewell), Beauty Transitions, and Mountain State Justice.
It is not too late to become a sponsor. Just contact President Robin Crawford at 304-578-1045 for details.
Please join them on October 17 for a delightful dinner and program. All are welcome.
