[verbatim] Jackson 2000, a multi-racial organization that fosters positive race relations, will host its annual party on Saturday, March 4, to celebrate the progress that has been made in Mississippi in the last two decades toward racial reconciliation.
The Board of Jackson 2000 is pleased to announce this year's FRIENDSHIP BALL honorees, Donna Ladd and Derrick Johnson. To these individuals, racial reconciliation is not a "project"; it is, instead, their life's work. Donna Ladd, founder and co-editor of the weekly alternative newspaper, the Jackson Free Press, and Derrick Johnson, state president of the Mississippi NAACP, understand the importance of making our community a better place by asking the hard questions and getting out the truthful answers when it comes to issues on race.
Donna Ladd, 44, a native of Neshoba County, lives to ask the tough questions. After graduating from Mississippi State University, she earned a master's degree at New York's Columbia University in journalism with a social justice focus. The Jackson Free Press, which launched three years ago, quickly gained national attention for the feature writing and columns produced and edited by Donna. Many of her articles have focused on race and youth issues. Donna has been featured in publications including a special story in Glamour magazine about her early life in Philadelphia, Miss. Never one to shy away from the truth of an issue, Donna, through her writing, works toward better understanding between the races always with an eye towards helping to create a better community for us all.
Derrick Johnson, 37, with his drive and determination to see a better Mississippi for all her people, was elected to be the youngest state president of an NAACP Conference in the nation. As a young lawyer, the Tougaloo and South Texas College of Law graduate joined the staff of Southern Echo Inc., and became a regional organizer for Echo's redistricting project in six states across the South. In addition to redistricting campaigns, Derrick has been actively involved and considered an expert in voters' rights and election law. Derrick's reputation of working for social and racial justice was rewarded with an appointment to the post-Katrina Governor's Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal. Derrick asked the questions of equity and fairness for those in the state who might otherwise be voiceless.
The Friendship Ball, Saturday, March 4, 2006, at Hal & Mal's is an annual event presented by the Board of Jackson 2000. Jackson 2000 is a group committed to creating opportunities for dialogue, understanding and action around issues of racial reconciliations. At this year's Friendship Ball These Days with Jewel Bass will provide entertainment. There will be light h'ors deuves and plenty of good fellowship. Tickets are $20 or $8 for students and are available at the door or from one of the three organizations that benefit from the proceeds, Habitat for Humanity, Stewpot Community Services or 100 Black Men.
All are welcome for the celebration of what is good in Jackson and two of the people who make Jackson (and Mississippi) a better place for us all: Donna Ladd and Derrick Johnson.
CONTACT: Merrill McKewen, [e-mail missing]
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