Husband and wife team deliver agriculture and civil rights message.
by S. Rotan Hale
The Roanoke Branch NAACP Annual Citizen of the Year Awards (COTY) program typically draws a who’s who of local dignitaries and others who believe in and support its local branch.
Held Friday, May 5, this year marked the 19th event of its kind and, all things considered, it just keeps getting better and better.
Kianna Price-Wade, as MC, added her special exuberance to the affair in which she quite evidently embraces on a personal level especially during the NAACP youth acknowledgement segment.
“Our youth council is the largest in Virginia,” said local organization president Brenda Hale who praised the efforts of local vice president Gloria Randolph-King, NAACP Youth Council chair.
A main event of this program is the parade of NAACP graduating youth scholars who are recognized individually–yes all 34 strong! One would think the process of that many students approaching the stage, receiving an award and giving a short speech regarding their future plans (college, etc.) would be nothing short of boring. However this year’s display was extremely uplifting.
Among the students honored was a proud online journalist–11-year-old Ava Rosa DeVries, who received the COTY award in media for her own video show “Three Questions with Ava Rosa” and an impressive number of other achievements. Her speech humbly pointed out that she was “not extraordinary,” but gave much credit to her parents and others for her high level of achievement.
Another recipient highly deserving of mention was former Roanoker Jeff May who drove in from Fayetteville, N.C. to receive his award in education. May is not your average educator but a youth empowerment specialist who is credited for creating and grooming a number of youth programs as the Westside Youth Debaters who went all the way to national award.
“I’m so glad that there was a teacher who understood that they saw me in the lines of this poem,” May said referring to the short but touching poem he recited about a child’s struggles to get an education.
“I’m so grateful that we are surrounded by people that understand that education goes beyond the curriculum,” he added in closing.
May is a driving force who continues his work with youth in the Cumberland Co. School District of Fayetteville NC where he currently resides.
A power point presentation helped relay the message Kara Boyd delivered as one of two guest speakers on program. As agricultural specialist and co-founder of the Association of American Indian Farmers, she oversees the advocacy, outreach and technical assistance to American Indian Farmers and Ranchers.
Her most informative talk profiled facts, figures and various legislation implemented to address the concerns of Native Americans as well as that percentage who are farmers.
“Kara Boyd is so knowledgeable that we need to bring her back to disseminate it all across the Roanoke Valley because we need to help our communities and our neighbors,” said Hale.
“We have food desserts throughout the community– meaning no grocery stores, but food can be grown and she’s going to help us with that,” Hale added.
John W. Boyd, Jr. is a fourth generation farmer and the other partner at the dual-speaker affair. He and wife Kara make the perfect team regarding such critical issues as nutritional sustenance (and/or the lack of), land ownership and the plight of the Black farmer.
Boyd who is founder of the National Black Farmers Association, spoke most vehemently about civil rights–regarding farmers of color–an issue he’s no stranger to considering his lengthy list of accomplishments in that area.
“Every African American in this room is only one or two generations from somebody’s farm…and I’ve been traveling across this country trying to find out what happened to the Black farmer,” Boyd asserted.
This dynamic soldier is a native of Baskerville, VA where he owns a 300-acre farm that flourishes with vegetation as well as livestock.
“Some of the most powerful tools you can posses are land ownership (coupled with the ability to produce your own food) and the history that we need to teach our children,” he urged in a speech that was impactful, brief and covered much ground.
The Boyd & Boyd duo with their old-world and back to basics focus on farming etc, was a refreshing switch from “the man done us wrong” approach that is typical of such gathering.
Many of the night’s honorees praised Hale and other local branch members for their efforts to empower the area’s youth as well as the adults who all left the 3-hour affair with a renewed since of awareness.
