President Joe Biden to address NAACP dinner in Detroit May 19

President Joe Biden will speak at the 69th annual Detroit Branch NAACP annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner on May 19, the organization announced and the Biden-Harris campaign confirmed Wednesday.

The dinner at Huntington Place is a major event that traditionally draws thousands of attendees and high-profile speakers. It's been described as the largest sit-down dinner in the world, with as many as 10,000 guests.

"President Biden comes at a critical time in our nation's history," the Detroit Branch NAACP said in a news release. "We face tremendous international challenges coupled with domestic and local issues that seek to divide us. However it is our belief that if we work together as a people that we can resolve these issues for the benefit of all Americans."

The Biden-Harris campaign confirmed the appearance on the day former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, is scheduled to visit Saginaw County.

Michigan is an important battleground state in the 2024 election.

The NAACP said it will present Biden with the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award. It's named after a writer, civil rights activist, lawyer and diplomat who was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance and wrote the lyrics to "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who is not seeking another term, also will receive an award at the dinner.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or [email protected]. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: President Joe Biden to address NAACP dinner in Detroit May 19