Mississippi Valley State University Douglas T. Porter Athletic Scholarship Banquet will be Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in H.M. Ivy Cafeteria Dining Hall IV with Operation LEAD Founder John Evans as the Athletic Banquet Speaker.

Keynote Speech

Leadership to End All Discrimination  

 Balancing The Scales of Justice

             JOHN EVANS, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
                                 

John Evans is a native of Nashville, Tennessee where he received his elementary education.  John Evans attended Pearl High School in Nashville, Tennessee but he graduated from Morristown High School in Morristown, Tennessee.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from both Mississippi Valley State University and Tennessee State University.  He completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Atlanta University.After graduating from Tennessee State University, John Evans moved back to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked as an accountant with Standard Oil Company and as an internal auditor for Commonwealth Edison Company, public utility.  He was also a lay speaker in the United Methodist Church while in Chicago. John Evans moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to serve as  business manager for the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), one of the five schools in the Atlanta University Center, a position he held for thirteen years.  John Evans also served as an instructor at Morris Brown College and DeKalb Community College. John Evans is the father of three grown children, Harvey, Darla and Malia.  He also has five grandchildren.  He is a member of Ousley United Methodist Church. John Evans has received many awards for his community involvement.  Among these awards are:  DeKalb County Community Development Service Award, David C. Albert Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award from the DeKalb Branch NAACP, Liberty Bell Award from Decatur-DeKalb Bar Association, Civil Rights Living Legend Award from the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and the Masked Award from the United Negro College Fund. John Evans is a former member of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, former member of the Marta Board of Directors, former President of the DeKalb Branch NAACP, and a former player in the Negro Baseball League. John Evans was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame at Mississippi Valley State University.  John Evans is a member of the OMEGA PSI PHI fraternity.  He is currently the President and CEO of Operation LEAD.                                                           Leadership to End All Discrimination

MISSION

Our commitment is to place major emphasis on the legal rights of those who cannot afford to protect themselves or do not have the expertise to do so; lift the veil and remove the barriers of racial discrimination by ensuring the equality of rights of those who have traditionally and historically been discriminated against in the United States; and uphold the basic human rights of all people to ensure a final end to racism and classism.

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OBJECTIVES

The principal objectives of Operation LEAD shall be:

• To ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all citizens.
• To achieve equality of rights and eliminate race prejudice among the citizens of the United States
• To remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.
• To seek enactment and enforcement of federal, state and local laws securing civil rights.
• To inform the public of the adverse effects of racial discrimination and to seek its elimination.

STANDING COMMITTEES 

DIRECT ACTION*POLITICAL ACTION*FINANCE*MEMBERSHIP* PUBLIC RELATIONS*YOUTH*EMPLOYMENT COUNSELING*BUSINESS*

                  OFFICERS

John Evans,President & CEO

Earnest Marshall   1^st Vice Chair 

Sharon J. Hill  -   2^nd Vice Chair                                                     

Richard Evans   -   3^rd Vice Chair                                                 

Earlene Woodson  -  Secretary                                                         

Vivian Dixon – Asst. Secretary                                                      

Margaret. Berry  -  Treasurer                                                             

Malia Evans -   Asst. Treasurer