QUITMAN, Ga. – The Brooks County NAACP Branch #5173 will be holding its 10th annual Freedom Fund Banquet on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 7 p.m., themed, “When We Fight, We Win,” with keynote speaker Stacey Abrams.

“Many people don’t realize it, but this year is the Quitman + 2 is 10th year anniversary,” said Deacon Zurich DeShazior, referring to the 2010 arrests of 12 Brooks County residents accused of voter fraud for leading a get-out-and-vote campaign. “That’s why we reached out to her (Abrams). She used the Quitman 10 + 2 as a talking point in her fight against voter suppression.”

DeShazior pointed out that he is part of the NAACP, which he says is not a political party.

“We make sure everybody has a right, not just the opportunity, to vote,” DeShazior, a member of the Brooks County Board of Elections, told Valdosta Today. “We get involved not just in the political arena but the voting community.We keep a close eye on what’s going on in the elections office. The voting machines are vulnerable and easy to be hacked into, and I’m talking about the new ones.”

This will be the first time Abrams has been to Brooks County to talk about the Quitman 10 + 2.

The event will be held at the Event Center located at 400 South Court Street, Quitman.

Admission is $30.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and event will begin at 7 p.m.

Please call Deacon Zurich DeShazior at 229-561-0946 or Sister Peggy Wilson at 229-300-6469 for more information.