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MISS. MAYOR SPEAKS AT NAACP EVENT

By Bobbie Harville /Special to The Commercial
Sunday, October 18, 2009 12:07 AM CDT

The Pine Bluff Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had much to celebrate at its 18th annual Dove Freedom Fund Banquet.

Philadelphia, Miss., Mayor James A. Young, middle left, was the featured speaker at the Pine Bluff Branch of the NAACP’s 18th annual Freedom Fund Banquet held at the Pine Bluff Convention Center Friday night.

Held Friday night at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, the event marked the 100th birthday of the national association and the 90th birthday of the Pine Bluff branch.

Throughout the night, speakers talked about the organization’s legacy of fighting for justice and equality for all. While noting the myriad accomplishments of the past, many spoke of the need to continue working for civil rights in the future.

The keynote speaker, Philadelphia, Miss., Mayor James Young, told the crowd of more than 500 that people of all races must stand united.

“If we don’t walk together hand in hand, if we don’t stand shoulder to shoulder, this country will falter,” he said.

Young is the first black mayor of Philadelphia — the small Southern town where three civil rights workers were killed in 1964. James Chaney, a black man, and Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, both white, were murdered while registering voters.

Young said that after speaking to some college students, both black and white, he learned that they were ashamed that their town was known for those infamous acts. However, now those students feel that his election signals change and speaks well of their hometown.

“They say, ‘I’m glad to say I’m from Philadelphia,’” Young said. “Philadelphia has made a change in our attitude, in our thinking and in our drive to move our city forward.”

A Pentecostal minister, Young worked as a hospital housekeeper before going on to become Neshoba County’s first emergency medical technician and later an EMT-paramedic. Young also served as a county supervisor.

He recalled that, during his mayoral campaign, some had doubts that he’d ever be elected.

“Some said Philadelphia’s not ready for a black mayor,” Young said. “Some said I had a snowball’s chance in you-know-where but here I stand today.”

Young credits his parents for giving him the drive to succeed. He said his mother encouraged him to go to school while his father instilled in him the desire to work hard.

“I thank God for my mother because she said if you’re ever going to be anything, you must get an education,” he said, adding that his father cautioned that if he didn’t learn how to count money, someone was liable to cheat him.

While working with his father, Young said he learned the value of hard work but he also learned the value of ingenuity.

“I’m tired of doing things the hard way,” he said. “Let’s figure out a better way to bring our communities together. Let’s figure out a better way to bring our races together.”

He cautioned people not to prejudge.

“You can’t judge a man if you don’t know him,” he said. “We sometimes prejudge people before we meet them. We prejudge them by the hue of their skin. We prejudge them by the way they speak.”

Young said he’s learned not to prejudge and he tells people to “take me on the merits of my actions.”

Friday’s Freedom Fund Banquet was hosted by Fox 16 News anchor Donna Terrell and the Rev. Robert Handley, pastor of Mt. Harmony Missionary Baptist Church in Pine Bluff. Branch President Classie Green welcomed guests to the historical occasion noting the event’s theme “Pine Bluff Branch NAACP: 90 Years and Still Going.” Jasmine White, president of the UAPB Chapter of the NAACP and Kristen Johnson, president of the Youth Council NAACP, also greeted guests.

The event featured music by Legoria Payton and Friends, a silent auction and a preview of a video about the past presidents of the Pine Bluff Branch NAACP. The Pine Bluff branch is the largest in Arkansas.

The following individuals received awards during the evening:

Wanda V. Neal - Adult Member of the Year; Margie Howard Bell - Community Service; the Rev. Robert Jaye Thompson - Dove Civil Rights and David Heard - Youth Council Member of the Year.

During a special presentation on behalf of Gov. Mike Beebe’s office, 103-year-old Pine Bluff resident Monroe Isadore received a special honor in the shape of the Arkansas State Capitol Building.

As he accepted the honor, Isadore said, “I have so much to talk about. Just keep the door open. Brother (Martin Luther) King opened the door for us. For leaders today: just keep praying.”

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