MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Members of the Middle Tennessee State University communitywill be well represented at the annual Freedom Fund Banquet hosted by the NAACP Murfreesboro Branch at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, on campus.

MTSU Police Lt. Demetrius Smith will be honored as Man of the Year and Student Government Association president Michai Mosby has been named Youth of the Year for the annual gala, which will take place on campus in the James Union Building, 516 Alma Mater Drive.

A 20-year veteran of the MTSU Police Department, Smith has also served youth athletics in Murfreesboro for nearly 25 years. He started in 2000 coaching the Murfreesboro Mustangs, part of the Tennessee Youth Football Association, and served as a basketball coach at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherford County.

Smith, a former Blue Raider football player, also started the Murfreesboro Blue Raiders youth football league alongside Chris Lilly. He later coached at Oakland High School while also mentoring youth.

“I would say my motivation to help and be around the youth stemmed from my early childhood deficiencies,” Smith said. “I grew up wanting to be an educator where I saw a shortage of Black male presence.”

Mosby, a senior journalism major who is starting his second term as SGA president, has received numerous awards in his academic and community work. Mosby is president of the First Baptist Church College Ministry and leader in the MTSU NAACP College Chapter. He also serves as Tennessee assistant executive director of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and deputy chief of staff for the Southern Region of the fraternity.

“Being named Youth of the Year is an incredible honor, but this recognition isn’t about it,” Mosby said. It’s about the commitment to uplifting our community and advocating for students.”

In addition to his academics and community service, the Memphis native works as assistant manager of Sky Zone Murfreesboro and director of marketing and management for Hellum Funeral Home in Murfreesboro.

“He demonstrates excellence in a host of activities and events,” said Millicent Nelson, associate professor of management in the MTSU Jones College of Business and faculty advisor for the student NAACP chapter.

Retired Nashville educator and tireless community volunteer Martha Manigo Sawyers — the recipient of numerous NAACP awards across the region — will be honored as Woman of the Year at the gala, which supports the work of the longtime civil rights organization.

Speaker for the event is the Rev. T. Devan Franklin III, pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. A native of the Walter Hill Community in Murfreesboro, Franklin serves as president of the Congress of Christian Workers and Education for the Smithfork District Association.

Recipient of the gala’s Organization of the Year is Nourish Food Bank, which has served to end food insecurity in the Middle Tennessee region for nearly 40 years.

Tables for eight are $600 and individual tickets are $75, and can be purchased online at bit.ly/475LVsd through Wednesday, Aug. 21. Call 615-589-5034 for more details.

Parking for the James Union Building is available on Alma Mater Drive as well as the Bell Street Parking lot. A searchable campus map is available at bit.ly/3IWpzxP.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)