by S. Rotan Hale
The local NAACP pulled out all the stops at the annual Citizen of the Year Awards program held Friday, March 12 at the Holiday Inn, Tanglewood.
Branch President Brenda Hale and her team assisted by the graceful touch of Anita Price as mistress of ceremony pulled off an event that everyone in the packed house would consider as “one for the books.” The affair is a major fundraiser for the local organization headed by Hale who was highly praised throughout the program.
As added attractions events of this type typically feature the talents of Youth Council members who in this case were ACT-SO Gold Medalists. However there was nothing typical about Madden Cannon’s renditions of both Cry Me a River and Make Someone Happy – two classic ultra-popular songs of the 50’s and 60’s. As a young William Fleming 9th grader, Cannon’s “ole school” treatment of the songs perfectly captured the hauntingly romantic flare of both songs.
Also on program was talented poet Maya West, a William Fleming 11th grader who recited a poem that showed unusually mature depth and focus.
Guest speaker was Richmond City Mayor Levar Stoney who took the program higher with a speech that spoke to many issues currently plaguing our communities and the world at large.
Stoney boasted of his love for America and his family’s patriotism regarding certain relatives and their military service. The Hampton Roads native spoke emphatically of the support he had from his grandmother and particularly his father who Stoney said never graduated from high school and at one point was incarcerated but understood and emphasized the value of education as “the great equalizer.”
“My grandmother and my father made great sacrifices so that I could have the world. They wanted me to have every opportunity in life and they opened me up to the world of possibilities.”
His father’s encouraging stories were the catalyst that put Stoney on the path to college which ultimately led to the successful life he has since led.
He was the first person in his family to graduate from college which was a “big deal” he said. He went on to become Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the youngest member of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s cabinet – a road that led him to become Richmond’s 80th mayor – now in his second term, again the youngest to be elected.
Through a sensitive and powerful tribute to his father’s unwavering support Stoney was compelled to place his diploma from JMU in his father’s casket. “My diploma is with my dad because I recognized we earned it together,” he said.
Stoney spoke passionately about the “barriers” he was able to overcome to succeed. He mentioned the ongoing plague of White Supremacy and referenced Jim Crow laws that are still deceptively crafted into existing legislation as poll taxes, disenfranchisement laws and literacy test. All are insidious efforts to control the electorate.
Quoting his father he said “When barriers are put in front of you, you go through them, underneath them, around them, you outsmart the barriers.”
One of the several layers of rigorous applause he triggered came from his account of the efforts that rid Richmond of Confederate monuments toppling them one-by-one. “Currently the city is Confederate monument free,” he boasted.
Among the issues he addressed was education regarding the learning lost due to the pandemic. “We should leave no opportunity on the table… and do everything to ensure that Black and brown kids get back to where they were,” Stoney said and proudly backed it up quoting figures of a 50% increase in education funding for Richmond Public Schools during his tenure.
Stoney’s speech was one that energized and captivated his audience with each encouraging word. It was the icing on the cake of empowerment serving those hungry for a sweet remedy to these troubling times.
The program peaked with the traditional recognition of the Citizens of the Year awards. Listed by category they are:
Arts, Bryce Cobbs, artist commissioned for the Henrietta Lacks statue; Corporate, Goodwill, Industries of the Valley, Inc., Richmond Vincent, president, CEO; Education, Dr. Verletta White, superintendent, RCPS; Education, Miles Wilson, senior GPA 4.4 William Fleming, High School, ACT-SO Olympian; Humanitarian, Hope Cupid president, CEO, SERCAP; Media, Brittany McGraw, WSLS TV, 10 anchor; Medicine, Dr. Ijeoma Okogbue, Cardiologist, Carilion Clinic; Religion, Rev. Dr. Thomas Harper pastor, Central Baptist Church; and Lifetime Achievement, Rev. Sherman Lea, Mayor City of Roanoke.
Others acknowledged received the: Rev. R.R. Wilkinson, Memorial Award for Social Justice, Dr. Katherine Coble Stromberg; NAACP Service to the Nation Award, Mellisa Gaona and Presidents Award, Javeon Tucker president, Roanoke NAACP, Youth Chapter.
