During her keynote address, at the 55th Annual Detroit Branch NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner on Sunday, May 2, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis emphasized the importance of jobs, saying her motto is “good jobs for everyone.”
At the dinner, with attendees including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Mayor Dave Bing and Benjamin Jealous, NAACP national president and CEO, Solis pledged enforcement of workplace safety laws and emphasized the need for jobs that rebuild the middle class.
She also said the Obama administration is committed to rebuilding the economy through employment, and that unemployment rates for African Americans and Latinos higher than the 9.7 percent nationwide rate are unacceptable and must be dealt with expeditiously.
Michigan’s unemployment rate is 14 percent.
The Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner was launched in 1956 with Thurgood Marshall as the keynote speaker. Today it is the largest sit-down dinner of its kind not only in the United States, but in the entire world.
Approximately 10,000 people attended this year’s event, which was held at Cobo Center.
Rev. Wendell Anthony is president of the Detroit Branch NAACP.
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