KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND MV NAACP PRESIDENT—Summer Lee and David Hunter (Photos by Debbie Norrell)
by Debbie Norrell, Lifestyles Editor
“Our Voices, Our Engagement, Our Votes Matter!” was the theme of the annual Mon Valley NAACP Human Rights Banquet held at the St. Spyridon Hellenic Center on Sept. 7. With Pa. State Representative Summer Lee as keynote speaker and KDKA-TV reporter Bob Allen as Master of Ceremonies, guests from the Mon Valley area enjoyed a program that honored more than a dozen Mon Valley residents. The Monongahela Valley unit of the NAACP covers the Mid-Mon Valley area including parts of Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette and Allegheny counties. After a delightful dinner Rep. Lee spoke about the power of the people is greater than the people in power and that voting alone is not the answer. She said, “We have to get serious about how we use our vote to build power for marginalized people.”
The 2019 Mon Valley NAACP Awards were presented by MV NAACP president David Hunter. The awardees included: Councilwoman Rev. Lois Thomas/Public Service; Elected Official, Legal/Law Enforcement (Randall Carlock); Legal/Law Enforcement (Richard Carlock); Education/Academics (Dr. Aaron Cook); Community Service (Jessica Anderson); Humanitarian (Raven Morris), Athletic/Sports (Richard Blainefield), Business (Desiree Lyon); and the MV NAACP Merit Award was presented to Rev. Lee Johnson, First Vice President, MV NAACP. The 2019 Student Awardees included: Chai Diggs, Brownsville HS – Academics; Damani Johnson, Belle Vernon HS – Athletics; Rayna Winston, Monessen HS – Community Service; and Carmen James Tyler, California HS – Performing Arts. The MV unit of the NAACP is a volunteer community based organization that was chartered in 1929.
The banquet committee included: Bonnie Mays- Hughes, Mary Lou Youngblood, Hazel Murray, Yvonne Duncan, Rowena Mason, Judith McNeil and Betty McWilliams.
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