Taped to the doors of HUB Heritage Hall was a piece of lined paper scribbled with the words, "No more seats! Sorry!"

"It was definitely more than we expected," Daniel Hall, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Penn State Chapter Secretary, said of the turnout for yesterday's event.

NAACP held its first Freedom Dinner, an event featuring entertainment, dinner and a distinguished speaker yesterday in Heritage Hall for a crowd of about 230.

"There isn't enough participation in the community," NAACP Penn State Chapter Vice President Howard Wu said. "This is an opportunity to make these connections."

Thaddeus Kirkland, a representative from the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, was the keynote speaker for the event and addressed the audience about fractures in the black community spanning generations. "Someone forgot to teach [the younger generation] to be free -- to think outside the box," Kirkland, 29, said.

Kirkland compared the current generation gap to a mishap in the 2004 Summer Olympics in which the heavily favored women's 400-meter relay team was disqualified because of a dropped baton between handoffs. "When the baton of freedom was dropped, we forgot to pick it up," Kirkland said. "We must go back, pick it up and place it in their hands -- my generation to yours."

Students appreciated Kirkland's speech for its relevance to college-aged blacks. "It's good to hear someone of an older generation, but not our grandparents' age, bridge the gap," Allyson Daniel (sophomore-musical theatre) said.

Many said they found the address, which was met with a standing ovation, inspiring and motivational.

"We've forgot the freedom fight and its importance of getting this information from parents," Natalie Patience (junior-psychology) said.

NAACP Penn State Chapter President Shamir Garland said the decision to invite Kirkland to lecture at the event was not a regrettable one. "I liked how he discussed this community and student body together for one common goal, which is unity," he said.

That unity will require effort and understanding from every facet of the university, Kirkland said. "If you're ever going to enjoy freedom here in Happy Valley, everyone is going to have to put their oars in and pull," he said.