Simpson represented at the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet

Last month, Simpson College was represented at the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet by student leaders, alumni, faculty and staff. This event is held in Des Moines to support the mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and celebrates those who have made a difference in the Greater Des Moines Metro community.

This year, it highlighted the fight to integrate African Americans into the Des Moines Fire Department (DMFD), which led to a class action lawsuit to stop hiring discrimination in the DMFD in 1980. The lawsuit resulted in African Americans having the opportunity to work in the DMFD and support the community in which they lived.

The group networked with leaders in the community such as Iowa African American Hall of Fame inductee Mary Chapman; Des Moines City Councilmember Josh Mandelbaum; President of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP branch Betty Andrews; former Iowa State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad and many more. Those in attendance also had the opportunity to hear from a number of speakers, including Victoria Lundgren, NAACP Des Moines Branch President, and Roscoe Jones Jr., the Dean of Drake University Law School.