Jeffrey Blount, a Smithfield native and television director at NBC, will be the guest speaker this weekend at the Isle of Wight County NAACP’s 16th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative banquet.

More than 200 people are expected to attend the event at 3 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Smithfield Center, 220 N. Church St., in Smithfield.

“I do believe race relations have taken a step backward,” Blount said. “I think the flashpoint was the election of President Barack Obama.”

Blount believes Obama’s elections were a catalyst that ultimately led to the recent uptick in race-related tragedies, such as the June 2015 mass shooting of 10 people inside Charleston’s historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and August 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

“Fear brings out all kinds of hatred and despicable acts,” Blount said. “Racism is still an issue for this generation. They are still fighting the same battles that were being fought in the 1960s.”

A 1977 graduate of Smithfield High School, Blount studied journalism at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Today, he is a scriptwriter of numerous documentaries and an Emmy award-winning director of “Meet the Press,” “The Chris Matthews Show,” and other NBC programs.

Blount has also written two books, a young adult novel called “Hating Heidi Foster,” and “Almost Snow White.”

Blount started his career at the Smithfield Times, initially delivering papers and helping clean the building.

“That’s where I got my inspiration to become a journalist,” Blount said. But from the first time he walked into a television studio, he was enthralled by the power of sharing people’s stories through that medium.

Blount is a candidate for induction into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame in April 2016.

His parents, Edward and Doris Blount, still live in Smithfield. Although Blount and his family live in Washington, D.C., they visit the town frequently.

Blount said he is looking forward to returning to his hometown this weekend.

Isle of Wight’s NAACP representatives are ready to roll out the welcome mat.

“We are excited,” Assistant Secretary Wanda Jones said. “We’re looking forward to hearing from someone local with his experiences.”

The Smithfield-based jazz group Forte will perform at the banquet.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 357-6517 or at the door. The cost is $35 for adults and $15 for students. Call 357-3812 for additional information or questions.

The NAACP will use proceeds from the event for its projects, including prizes for school essay contests on civil rights, Jones said.