The Freedom Fund Banquet, an annual fundraiser sponsored by the Gloucester Chapter of the NAACP and held on Saturday, March 21 at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester, was packed with people in support of the chapter’s multi-pronged mission of ensuring the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights for all people and eliminating race-based discrimination. Guest speaker for the evening was retired Portsmouth Circuit Court Judge Johnny E. Morrison, who recalled a visit to Gloucester years ago when he handled an election recount. This time around, he said to the diverse crowd, “I’m blessed to see people from all walks of life, neighbourhoods, and probably different religions and backgrounds. I see how America should be and can be—the true spirit of America, of Virginia, and of your home town.” Morrison spoke of a difficult childhood, with seven children in the home who “tried to stay out of trouble.” “I was told I wasn’t going to make it because I wasn’t white,” he said....