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[[continued]]Nobles of The Mystic Shrine August 17-23, 1975 Roosevelt-Fairmont Hotel in Downtown New Orleans, La. [[continued from previous page]] [[image – three horses with fez-wearing riders of a mounted patrol]] drill contests and exhibitions; motorcycle show; Prince Hall drawing talent scholarship pageant program; recreation department annual ward stay ceremony; salute to famous blacks of the past; and the student-aid scholarship banquet and program. The mid-week highlight of the seven-day stay in New Orleans will be the grand parade through the downtown streets in the heart of the city. Some 500 units and more than 5,000 persons will participate in the three-mile long, four hour parade. One of the prettiest attractions in the parade will be Miss Karen Sue Floyd, the 1974 National Shrine Queen. The lovely Miss Floyd, from New York City by way of Birmingham, Alabama, won the first prize of the $2,500 in the annual Prince Hall Shrine talent and scholarship pageant contest, held in Philadelphia, Pa. last year,besting 15 other contestants in the finals. She was sponsored by Medina Temple 17 of New York City. Imperial Potentate Johnson said that the youth of our nation are always well represented at our annual imperial council sessions. Programs and activities, designed especially for the young, will be held this year in New Orleans as always. These will include basketball and bowling; swimming, track and field competition; male youth and female (isiserettes) drill team competition; mini-bike races; marching in mounted patrol exhibitions and an all-day picnic in one of the largest parks in the city. Johnson is strong on the fact that all members of the fraternal order must project a strong effort and the involvement of young people in the area of community life today, if we are to succeed. The Imperial Potentate noted that the Imperial Council of Shriners are already on record for projecting a strong program of social action in order to assist local, state and national law enforcement agencies and officials to eradicate crime, delinquency, and poverty from the streets of our cities and towns in our time. "The strong members of black fraternal orders must assist us in bearing the infirmities of those who are weak, both in and out of the accepted society, if we are to survive," the Imperial Potentate said. He further added that Prince Hall Shriners and daughters believe that their 82 years of heritage has been rich in traditions and accomplishments, and it is unequaled by any other fraternal organizations in the country in terms of charity, benevolent, and other financial aid. In addition to donations made by local clubs, courts and temples on almost a monthly basis, our national charities, administered by the Health and Medical Research Foundation, make annual donations, in millions of dollars, to colleges, universities and hospitals for medical research; to young men and women, worldwide, for education at institutions of higher learning to further their formal education; to prestigious organizations such as the United Negro College Fund, National Jewish Hospital, Health and Research Centers throughout the USA, and to the National NAACP and its legal defense fund, to assist them in developing programs of their choosing and in upgrading academic and scholastic achievements. Prince Hall Shriners, called "Nobles," represent a membership of nearly 30,000 in the Imperial Council. There are nearly 12,000 women, cold "Daughters," in the Imperial Court, which is the women's auxiliary. The two groups, Shriners and daughters alike, represent more than a quarter-million Prince Hall masons and sisters in appendant and adopted rite bodies of the Prince Hall family of masons, world-wide. The criteria for membership in the court is also simple. You must be a daughter, mother, sister, widow, or wife of a Prince Hall Shriner, who is a Prince Hall mason. The fraternal order accepts membership in the organization, with no regard to race, color, or creed. 189