Paying homage to a leader

The life of a man remembered across the country as a visionary in unity was honored Saturday night in Eden during the 17^th annual Martin Luther King Humanitarian Banquet at Morehead High School.

Keynote speaker JoAnna Gwynn, assistant principal of Bartlett Yancey High School, had a simple question to ask the crowd during her address: how far have black Americans come?

She said she remembers speaking several years ago about the need for a cohesive, solid black community with a spirit of unity within the group. She said unfortunately, there is a generational gap that needs to be accepted among the young and old.

“Depending on when you were born, we all have unique experiences,” she said. “Someone who was born in the 1950s isn’t going to think the same way as someone who was born in the 1980s or 1990s. There is a generational gap, and we need to be acceptant of that and tolerant. From my perspective, we are a people who are filtered racially, culturally and educationally. Our views are different from when our ancestors were enslaved, then through the Civil Rights Movement and now the new era of black America and black culture.”

Gwynn took the crowd on a journey through black history, beginning with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and ending with modern problems facing black Americans. She said issues like division and violence, identity and health are among the problems plaguing the black race.

“Some things are hereditary, but how many of us take the time out of our day to walk for 15 or 20 minutes?” she said. “It was in the news the other day that black American women are at the top for obesity. Black American women died from heart disease as the number one killer. Fifteen years ago black American women were dying from AIDS. We are at the top of every list.”

Gwynn encouraged people to take the time to decrease their sugar intake and live overall healthy lives. She also advocated education and asked parents to take time out to read with their children because “education is everything.”

Other speakers included Eden’s Economic Development Director Mike Dougherty and Guilio Dattero, Project Safe Coordinator.

Eden NAACP President Malcolm Allen said this is the largest year the event has seen since its inception. During his closing, he urged people in attendance to deny support for any kind of voter identification laws in North Carolina.

“While we face many issues this year, one that is most critical is the attempt to suppress voters with new voter ID laws,” he said. “People who have voted for 50 years now find themselves ineligible to vote. Some elderly people who were born at home and have no hospital birth certificate may not be able to vote, or some who no longer drive and have no driver’s license….With all the critical issues facing us like the economy and education, why are we creating a problem where there is no problem?”

To find out more about the Eden NAACP, call (336) 623-8060.