Marcheta Evans
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield College President Marcheta P. Evans was bestowed with a President’s Award as a “thought leader” by the Oranges and Maplewood Branch of the NAACP at its 108th annual Freedom Fund Gala, held virtually on May 8. This year’s event theme was “When We Fight, We Win.”
“The NAACP has made significant strides to advance our quest for justice and equality, for all people,” Evans said. “There is nothing more powerful and rewarding than to know you have had a hand in transforming someone’s life, helping them realize their full potential. At Bloomfield College, we have the opportunity and responsibility to be those change agents.”
The keynote address was given by U.S. Rep. Hakeem S. Jeffries, a Democrat who represents Brooklyn’s 8th District and serves in the House leadership as Democratic Caucus chairperson. Additional honorees across a total of nine categories for the 2021 class included William Michael Barbee, Weldon Montague III, Mary Bentley LaMar, Cynthia Brown, Charles Smith III, the Rev. H. William Rutherford III, Dorthaan Kirk and Tom Puryear.
The NAACP Oranges and Maplewood branch is the oldest NAACP unit in the state of New Jersey and third oldest in the nation, founded on April 18, 1913. NAACP Freedom Fund events are the major fundraising activity of all units of the organization. The proceeds from the gala finance the yearlong programs sponsored by the branch in the areas of education, housing, economic development, health and youth.
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