U.S. Sen. Cory Booker delivered a profound keynote address – free of politics or any mention of his political aspirations to an audience of more than 10,000 at the annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner at Cobo Center on Sunday May 6.
The Detroit NAACP chapter president, Rev. Wendell Anthony, noted that Booker is the latest in a long list of influential speakers at the annual dinner.
“Speakers in the past have included presidents, secretaries of state, governors, historians, labor leaders, civil rights icons and those who shake the social foundation of our very society,” Anthony said.
Booker, whose mother is a native Detroiter and whose grandfather was a card-carrying member of the UAW during World said in an exclusive interview with the Michigan Chronicle that a comprehensive approach for resolving problems, and foregoing quick fixes for long term and permanent solutions are key to advancing the national agenda.
Booker drew comparisons between Detroit throughout the evening to support the event’s theme; “We can’t rest now, the stakes are too high.”
The New Jersey senator and former mayor of Newark, N.J. appears to be on a course similar to that of Barack Obama in route to the Oval Office. Obama first addressed the historic Fight for Freedom Fund dinner in May of 2005 while serving as a U.S. Senator from Illinois. Obama delivered later delivered keynote speeches in 2008 and 2009 at the NAACP’s 100th annual celebration in New York.
“My intention is to run for reelection. I’m not going to play coy. I’d definitely consider [a presidential run]. But my focus right now is running for reelection,” said Booker in an earlier interview.
But while the popular statesman maintained that he’s not ready to announce a run for the presidency, his role in the Trump resistance has Washington insiders and politicos looking more closely at Booker for the nation’s top job.
Many are still talking about the laser-like focus and righteous anger he showed at a recent senate hearing when questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kirsten Nielsen about whether she heard Donald Trump’s now infamous “sh-t hole countries” comment.
Booker countered that the commander-in-chief referred to people from Africa and Haiti with “the most vile and vulgar language” and said “when ignorance and bigotry are allied with power, it is a dangerous force in our country. [Ms. Nielsen] your silence and your amnesia are complicity.”
Earlier this year Booker introduced the Marijuana Justice Act – a bill that would end the federal prohibition of marijuana and right some of the wrongs of the failed War on Drugs.
“For decades, the failed War on Drugs has locked up millions of nonviolent drug offenders-especially for marijuana-related offenses-at an incredible cost of lost human potential, torn apart families and communities, and taxpayer dollars. The drug war has had a disproportionately devastating impact on Americans of color and the poor,” said Booker.
The Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner is the largest sit-down dinner of its kind in the world. Serving approximately 10,000 guests with a first-class meal, world-class entertainment, and some of the world’s renowned keynote address speakers.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivered the Fight for Freedom Fund dinner keynote in 2017. Past speakers include: president Barak Obama, President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and former Vice President Joe Biden.
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