Clarksville, TN. – NAACP Clarksville TN Branch – The theme for the 69th Freedom Fund Banquet is “Celebrating Our Stories, Our Culture, Our Excellence”. The banquet will be held at the Valor Hall Event Center, 105 Walter Garrett Lane, Oak Grove, KY, 42262, November 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. and doors will open at 5:00 p.m. The Branch extends an invitation to the community to come join us in our endeavor to make Clarksville-Montgomery County Tennessee a more cohesive community. The Annual Freedom Fund Banquet is the Branch’s main fundraising event.
Guest speaker for the banquet is the 17th Most Worshipful Grand Master L. Lamont Banks, 33ᵒ. Most Worshipful Grand Master L. Lamont Banks, 33ᵒ is a native Tennessean and husband of Grand Worthy Matron, Dr. Crystal E. Banks of the Excelsior Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, PHA. They are the parents of Trinity, Lamont Jr., and Christian. He began his Masonic travels at the age of twenty-eight (28), August 24, 2002, when he became a member of the legendary Capitol Hill Lodge No. 251, F & AM, in Nashville, TN.
The Clarksville Branch #5582 of the NAACP will usher in this season of giving by adopting the Annie E. Moore Toy Drive as this year’s local charity and will collect unwrapped toys and monetary donations during the event. Martha J. Smith, the organizer and a member of the Excelsior Grand Chapter, initially established the toy drive under the authority of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Tennessee and introduced this charitable drive to spread holiday cheer to numerous children from individuals or families whose income is below a certain threshold. Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Tennessee appreciate the opportunity to extend this annual event to meet the needs of children in the community.