Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center ditched its Penn State decor for blue and yellow balloons and tablecloths yesterday evening in celebration of the second annual Freedom Dinner.

The event, sponsored by the Penn State chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), sold about 200 tickets for its evening of poetry readings and performances by the Urban Dance Troupe, Silent Praise Ministry, in addition to the United Soul Ensemble.

Through this event, the organization hoped to increase its membership and raise money for future programs, said Nolan Fontaine, treasurer of the Penn State NAACP.

"We wanted to inform everyone of the leaps and bounds made by African Americans," he said. "It helps us strive toward greater goals."

The Penn State chapter contains about 80 members and acts as one of seven NAACP college branches in Pennsylvania. The national NAACP remains one of the oldest American civil rights organizations.

In between performances, Thomas Smith, Jr., president of the Pennsylvania NAACP, spoke about racial inequality on college campuses and civil rights issues throughout Pennsylvania, including the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"No matter how high your status or personal color, you are always discriminated against," he said. "Many schools will close down to kill Bambi but not to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Smith also asked students to remember the struggle for the right to vote and urged them to exercise that right Tuesday.

"Too many civil rights leaders died for you not to vote," he said. "Everything you have today, someone made a sacrifice for you. You have to be the forefront for someone coming behind you."

Jari Beasley (freshman-labor and industrial relations) said she was impressed by the event.

"I thought it was very well put together," she said. "The speaker was my favorite part. He was very motivational."