Kids today don't know how good they've got it.

Keith Owens plans to tell them just that —  at least 102 of them — this Saturday when he headlines the Ann Arbor NAACP's 2010 Freedom Fund dinner at the Four Points Sheraton.

Ann Arbor NAACP president William Hampton leads a round of "We Shall Overcome" at the 2009 Freedom Fund dinner.

File photo: Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

The Freedom Fund dinner honors the efforts of local, high-achieving black students. This year's dinner will take place at the Ann Arbor Four Points Sheraton on Boardwalk, and 102 high school students will be recognized for maintaining grade point averages above 3.2.

The theme of this year's dinner is the same at NAACP branches nationwide: One Nation, One Dream.

Owens told AnnArbor.com in a phone interview he plans to show the youngsters their potential and opportunities are unlimited.

"I'm 52," he said. "Much, much more is possible for young people today than was when I was their age. From President Barack Obama on down, opportunities are more available to our community than ever."

The challenge young people face, Owens said, is those who have always been exposed to opportunities might not fully appreciate what they have.

"That's why it's so important that people learn from their history," Owens said. "If you think it's tough now, it's been much worse in the past. If young people know that, they'll see just how wide-open things are."

Owens, former senior editor with The Michigan Chronicle, now works in communications for the Wayne County Treasurer's Office. In his spare time, he plays in a jazz quartet called "Freedom Underground."

It was Owens's variety of talents that led William Hampton, president of the Ann Arbor NAACP since 2004, to seek him out to give the keynote speech, Hampton said.

Beyond honoring high-achieving black students at the Freedom Fund dinner, the local branch of the NAACP also offers a Saturday morning study session, with student volunteers from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University providing guidance. The sessions run from 9 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at Bethel A.M.E. on the north side of town.

"We can't erase the whole disparity gap (between black and white students) ourselves, but we're certainly going to do our part," Hampton said.

This year, for the first time, the Freedom Fund dinner will honor a student from the alternative Roberto Clemente Student Development Center — three of them, actually. Last year was the first time a student from Stone High School was so honored.

Owens said despite the "Obama effect" — minority students, motivated by the success of President Obama, coming to believe that nothing, not even leadership of the free world, is out of their grasp — young students still need guidance to take full advantage of the opportunities out there, opportunities for career advancement that didn't exist as recently as 10 or 15 years ago.

"Who knows what the next 'dream' is, or what the next 'first' might be?" Owens asked. "There are no limits anymore, and that's what we're going to talk about on Saturday."

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.