by Shawn Nowlin
One of Brenda Hale’s greatest joys from serving as President of the local Roanoke NAACP Chapter is facilitating the Annual Citizen of the Year Awards Program from behind the scenes.
This year’s festive occasion was held May 2 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center Tanglewood. People started arriving around 5 p.m., and when the event concluded three hours later, memories were made that all involved will cherish.
Kicking things off was Mistress of Ceremony Sheila Herron. Before the Rev. Dr. David Jones gave the invocation, student Amelia Genesis Ayala led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance and Donna Bowie performed a rousing rendition of “America the Beautiful,” – a staple at events of this type.
Freedom Fund Chair Sonya Preston said, “It is an honor to welcome you all to an evening of purpose, place and definition. For over 92 years, we have made a difference in the Roanoke Valley by advocating for justice, building community and standing firmly on the principles of equality.”
Mayor Joe Cobb opened his comments recognizing his colleagues for all of their hard work. “No matter what the current (Trump)Administration says, in the City of Roanoke, DEI is in our DNA. The NAACP has stood as a pillar of grassroots leadership, civil rights advocacy and community strength for over a century.”
This year’s award recipients were a diverse collection of talented individuals: Arts, Katrina Legans, Roanoke City Artist in Residence; Business, Nikki Johnson Williams, CEO Girls Scouts S.C.; Corporate, Victor O. Cardwell, President of the VA Bar Association; Education, Ryan Bell, Student Services Manager, RHEC; Education Youth, Kendall Barber, William Fleming Senior with a 4.0 GPA; Humanitarian, David Hoback, Chief Roanoke Fire/EMS; Media, John Carlin, WSLS News Anchor; Medicine, Dr. Lee Learman, Dean Va. Tech Carilion School of Medicine; Religious, Rev. Cecil Scott, Pastor of Vine Church Roanoke and Rabbi Kathy Cohen of Temple Emanuel who received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Rev. R.R. Wilkinson Memorial Award for Social Justice went to Shamaill Ross, Chair of the Roanoke Branch NAACP LGBTQ+ Committee, and Donna Davis, the Director of Community Engagement of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys.
Points of Diversity CEO and founder Katie Zawacki received the President’s Award.
“You know I’m always excited about this affair, but now I’m even more excited because I have my own star,” Hale said. “We could not do this without our sponsors – Kroger, Food Lion, Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech School of Medicine, Local 400 and Mountain Valley Pipeline.”
She added, “Our theme: ‘Bridging Gaps, Building Alliances,’ incorporates the freedoms that we strive for daily in the Roanoke Valley. We continue to seek freedom from poverty and freedom due to premature deaths from gun violence, just to name two.”
The Rev. Dr. Anthony Holmes Sr., this year’s guest speaker, said, “Feminist and author Angela Davis was often quoted saying, ‘I am no longer accepting the things that I cannot change, and I am changing the things that I cannot accept.’ The fight for fairness and for freedom belongs to every human being. This is not a fight for those who are frantic, but for those who are focused.”
Portions of the event were also dedicated to the new Silver Life memberships as well as deceased members.
Additional information about the organization can be found at https://naacpva.org/units.
Artist
Temple Emanuel
Services Mngr, RHEC
