NAACP DeKalb County Branch

Prisons guru to give Jubilee Day speech

James E. Donald was appointed to the state Pardons and Paroles Board in January 2009. crossroadsnews.com
Former Georgia Corrections Commissioner James E. Donald will be the keynote speaker at the DeKalb NAACP’s annual observance of Jubilee Day on Jan. 1.
“Celebrating Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” is the theme of the event, which takes place at 11:30 a.m. at Columbia Drive United Methodist Church in Decatur.
The NAACP observes Jubilee Day annually in celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863, freeing slaves in all territory still at war with the Union.
Donald, a retired major general, was appointed to the state Pardons and Paroles Board in January 2009 by Gov. Sonny Perdue. As prisons chief, he oversaw the fifth-largest prison system in the nation with 200,000 felons in prison or on probation, 15,000 employees, and an annual budget of more than $1.2 billion.
Donald was awarded the Bronze Star as a Task Force commander with the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagles” during the first Gulf War.
He earned a bachelor of arts in political science and history at the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri.
WAOK radio personality and former Atlanta City Councilman Derrick Boazman will be master of ceremonies.Columbia Drive UMC is at 2067 Columbia Drive. For more information, e-mail deKalbNAACPMedia@g-mail.com or call 678-755-4661.