Michigan and national Democratic leaders used Detroit’s largest annual civil rights gala to blast what they called President Donald Trump’s assault on voting rights and urge Detroiters to harness their political power in the November midterm elections.
Speaking at the 71st NAACP Detroit Branch Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner at Huntington Place on Sunday, April 26, elected officials warned that proof-of-citizenship voting proposals, Trump administration efforts to obtain Michigan ballot data and a pending Supreme Court case that could weaken the Voting Rights Act together amount to an attack on democracy.
“We know our democracy and basic rights are under threat,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, whose decision not to seek re-election set up a critical race for Democrats hoping to flip the chamber. “Fighting against injustice and inequality has never been more important.”
This year’s dinner, themed “Liberty or Oppression – The Choice is Ours,” drew more than 1,000 attendees and spotlighted a who’s who of Michigan’s business, government and nonprofit leaders. Speakers included Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, delivered the keynote address, criticizing a range of Trump agenda items, from the war in Iran to Medicaid cuts.
“The other side, they’re doing everything they can to tear us apart,” Jeffries said. “But we’re not here to step back — we’re here to push back. This country will have a free and fair election in November and, after that, when the gavels change hands, one of the first things we will do is … end the era of voter suppression in the United States once and for all.”
NAACP’s call to action
The event comes as Republicans push proof-of-citizenship requirements at both the federal and state levels, with the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and a Michigan initiative awaiting state review for potential addition to the November ballot after a signature‑gathering campaign. Voting rights advocates warn such measures could block eligible voters who lack ready access to documents like passports or birth certificates.
Speakers also pointed to a pending Supreme Court case over Louisiana’s congressional map that could significantly weaken a portion of the Voting Rights Act, a key tool against racially discriminatory election rules. They also criticized a recent U.S. Department of Justice demand that Wayne County turn over “all ballots” from the 2024 election for federal review — a request Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have vowed to resist.
At a news conference before the dinner, NAACP Detroit Branch President Rev. Wendell Anthony called the event a call to action to “get involved” and help thwart Trump’s agenda.
“It’s knocking us right between the eyes,” Anthony said, citing the president’s push for new voting requirements; dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs; deportation campaign and removal of national markers recognizing Black history.
“The call to action is for us to get up, stand up and participate,” he said. “If we participate nationally like we should, we can turn this thing around.”
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, a Detroit native, urged city residents to vote, stressing Michigan’s role as a swing state.
“November’s election is going to determine whether we have a Congress willing to hold [accountable an administration] that has created a runaway federal government,” Johnson said. “What happens will be dependent on the residents of the city of Detroit. Your participation determines nationally what happens.”
Whitmer, Sheffield and Slotkin press the stakes
Whitmer highlighted what she called eight years of progress in Michigan following the Flint water crisis and decades of disinvestment, citing tax cuts for retirees, lead pipe replacement, road repairs and new union jobs. But she warned that “progress is precarious” and said conservative efforts to restrict voting are part of a broader attempt to “rig the game.”
“Nothing changes if we take a back seat,” Whitmer said. “The choice between liberty and oppression is really one between apathy and action.”
Sheffield, the first Black woman mayor in Detroit’s 374-year history, said the dinner theme “speaks directly to the struggle we are in,” pointing to rising prices, stagnant wages, a widening wealth gap and what she described as eroding civil liberties.
“Our sacred right to vote is under attack, leaving our democracy at risk,” she said, urging Detroiters to organize and act.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, framed the issue in starker terms.
“The fight over the next six months is whether we will have free and fair elections,” she said. “If we do not fight for them, they will not be here. Please see yourself in that fight.”
Tributes and honors
The dinner was the first since the February death of Rev. Jesse Jackson, a frequent headliner of previous dinners, and included a tribute to the civil rights icon.
The NAACP’s Detroit branch also honored Ruby Bridges Hall with the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award. New York Attorney General Letitia James received the Ida B. Wells Freedom and Justice Award. James praised Nessel’s pledge to resist federal requests for Michigan ballot information.
James, Jeffries and others also used their remarks to condemn political violence, a night after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, reportedly targeting Trump and senior aides.
“Political violence has no place in society,” James said, adding that while she thanked God that Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other dinner attendees were not hurt, she would continue to “yearn and pray for a compassionate, civil, competent and inclusive government in Washington, DC.”
Violet Ikonomova is a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at vikonomova@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dem leaders rally for voting rights at NAACP Fight for Freedom Dinner
Reporting by Violet Ikonomova, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
