While sharing stories of his civil rights efforts and victories, Congressman John Lewis, keynote speaker at the 55th annual NAACP Human Rights Dinner, pleaded for the Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP to continue the fight.
“Yes, we have come a long way, but we still have a distance to go,” Lewis said. “We didn’t give up and I say to you tonight we must never give up until we create a racial democracy in America.”
Lewis did not attend the dinner on May 7, as scheduled, and instead delivered his keynote speech via satellite thanks to the efforts of WPXI/TV general manager Ray Carter. Earlier in the day when Carter learned Lewis would be unable to attend he arranged for Lewis to give his speech from WPXI’s Washington, D.C. bureau and provided the technology to make it possible.
“I’m so very proud to work with someone who was dedicated and committed to making this happen,” WPXI anchor Darieth Chisholm said. “I’m so glad we were able to do this because (John Lewis’) speech was wonderful.”
Lewis began by telling the audience how he had decided to become involved in the fight for civil rights after hearing about the work of Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the NAACP.
As a child, Lewis said his mother and father dissuaded him from questioning the system of prejudice by telling him to “stay out of the way.” Despite their guidance he went on to participate in some of the most notorious civil rights movements on the 1960s and 1970s, including the Freedom Rides in 1961.
“Since the days of slavery, we as people of color have been standing up and speaking out,” Lewis said. “We’ve been finding a way to get in the way.”
Of his many protests and marches, Lewis highlighted his involvement in the march on Washington when he was just 23 years old. The impetus for the march, Lewis said, came after a talk with then President John Kennedy.
“We told him the people were restless. Too many of them had been beaten and jailed,” Lewis said. “We told him we were going to march on Washington.”
He also recounted his march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. on the day known as “Bloody Sunday.” He reminded the audience of how many people had given their lives for the cause that day and over the years.
“I thought I saw death. Forty-four years later I don’t know how I made it back across that bridge,” Lewis said. “Without Selma, without the NAACP, without the suffering of so many people, there would be no President Barack Obama.”
Before Lewis began Robert Hill, vice chancellor of public affairs at the University of Pittsburgh gave his introduction. Hill painted a picture of Lewis’ life from his experiences as a student in the segregated Jim Crow South, to his ultimate rise as a member of the House of Representatives where he continues to serve Georgia’s 5th district.
“After a lifetime of challenging elected officials, our hero became one,” Hill said. “Today he is one of the most important men and women in Washington.”
Lia Epperson-Jealous, wife of NAACP National President Benjamin Jealous, attended the dinner to give remarks on his behalf. She echoed Lewis’ cry for continued involvement in the NAACP, saying there are still many obstacles to overcome.
“I’d like to thank those who work daily to defend the principals of the NAACP,” Epperson-Jealous said. “We’re at a critical moment in history. In order to turn this tide we have to go back to the NAACP.”
Among the several issues Epperson-Jealous said her husband was taking on, she focused on the high number of African-American children living in poverty. She also said segregation in schools today is the highest it has been in recent years.
During dinner the guests were also entertained with a performance by the Kuntu Repertory Theater highlighting the struggles of African-Americans over the decades.
Alma Harris received the Judge Homer S. Brown Award in recognition of her lifelong service to the NAACP. The Duquesne University Law School Bill of Rights Clinic received the President’s Award for their efforts to guarantee fairness, freedom, equity, and other civil rights of the underserved population.
Six students were also awarded scholarships sponsored by Birdie Nicholas Glorious Rebirth, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, WPXI/TV Channel 11, Pennsylvania State Education Association - National Education Association, Nancy Washington, Milton Washington, and the Human Rights Dinner Committee. The awardees were high school graduates; Monica Jones, Zakera Barnes, Denise Lynn Jones, Elliot Blackwell, Dorietta Fuller, Angelo Hazlip and college graduate Carlena Gatewood
Source: New Pittsbourg Courier
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