Mt. Olive Congregation Marks 14th Celebration of Black History

COURT HOUSE – For the 14th year, the congregation of Mount Olive Baptist Church marked Black History Month with an afternoon presentation that included songs, dances, a guest speaker and Buffalo Soldiers.
Rev. James Francis. Assistant Pastor Rev. William L. McClurkin, gave an passionate rendition of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s famed “I have a dream” speech given in August 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Sister Janette Moore, prior to her recitation of a poem by Maya Angelou, told the gathering that she was there, on the National Mall, the day King gave that famed speech, but was too far away to see him.
John R. Webb, a lifelong Vineland resident, former history teacher and Department of Corrections retiree, ended his service as minimum unit supervisor responsible for care and supervision of over 300 inmates at Southwood Prison. As he recounted those, like Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks and King, who all played vital roles in history, he reviewed statistics from the 2010 census that showed African Americans’ median incomes lag by $20,000 their white counterparts and 23 percent of African Americans live in poverty.
Through the dark years of slavery and Reconstruction, then into the early 1900s and into mid-century, Webb said it was faith in God’s grace that helped African Americans to survive.
“Faith proved to be our sword and shield,” said Webb. Armed with faith, they lived through slavery and discrimination. “Without faith we would have perished.”
He then rehearsed the fact that “Some men aspire to greatness while others have it thrust upon them.” Had there not been organized resistance after Rosa Parks’ arrest for not surrendering her seat to a white man on the bus, and had not King been ready to embrace the time that the fight for civil rights must come, “Where would we be today?”
“History threw greatness on Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. They were able and up to the task,” he noted.
“America is becoming more inclusive, but we as a people lag behind,” he said. Again, he cited census figures that prove 60 percent of white students earn a degree in six years, while only 40 percent of black students earn one.
“Median income marks our place in society, and marks future aspirations,” he said.
“We have a problem in that society sets low expectations for us as a people. Too often we buy into this ourselves. If not much is expected. The system is designed to get that message across,” Webb said.
He cited his own college experience when the class was divided into teams. He was teamed with a black woman from Florida; they were the only two blacks in the class.
Their presentation was on the educational system in Australia. “For our due diligence, the professor praised our work and gave us an “A” and told them, “I really didn’t expect that of you.”
His remark drew a murmur from the congregation.
He also recounted when he was in eighth grade. In a race one day, he was beaten by a white student. Back in the locker room, Webb was beaten by two others. “I said, ‘What’s that for?’ They said ‘You did something stupid; you let someone who wasn’t better than you beat you.’ That had a profound impact on me.”
Webb used it as an example in future competitions. “Whenever we have a chance to compete, we better do well,” he said.
He pointed to President Obama “whose challenges have been unique.” After winning election the first time, it was customary for congressional leaders to meet with the president to discuss the agenda going forward. That did not take place, Webb said. “The leadership refused to meet with leader of the free world they said ‘We are too busy.” Webb believed that meant, “Our job is to see you don’t get elected in next four years.”
Webb also puzzled why the birthplace of a sitting president was questioned. “There is a certain civility lacking dealing with this. The last time I checked, Hawaii was a state. The rancor that has occurred in the Obama presidency is just unprecedented.”
Webb brought to light a new bill in Virginia for voter registration. He said no longer would the presentation of utility bills or Social Security cards be considered, while the use of a firearms purchase ID card is allowed.
“In Virginia, black folks don’t own a lot of guns. Maybe they should,” Webb offered.
“History has taught that laws may change, but it is harder to change the hearts of men and their perception. To change human nature is harder than to pass a law,” Webb said.
“We must remember our past to ensure our future. We have to expound on the foundation they paid, that we fought so hard to obtain. That is why I’m here. This is important,” Webb concluded.
He was given a standing ovation by the congregation.
Earlier in the ceremony, members of the church choir sang Negro spirituals.
The mother-daughter team of Delores and Plama Johnson acted out a women praying the Lord’s Prayer while God intervened and held a conversation with the one praying.
Brenda Robinson, a Cape May resident, who was absent, was to receive a New Jersey Legislature joint resolution for her career first as a Navy pilot, then as a pilot with American Airlines. That proclamation was read by Rev. James Hatch of Eureka Baptist Church, Wildwood.
Robinson was the first black female to graduate Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School. She holds the distinction of being the first black woman to earn gold wings as a naval aviator. She was the 59th female to enter naval flight training, and the 42nd female to earn wings.
Robinson rose to the rank of lieutenant commander, and in 1981, she was the first female to land on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. She was a flight instructor in Guam and Pensacola, Fla.
During a stint in Washington, D.C. she flew flag officers, congressional leaders, the Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the Navy.
Hatch read from her memoir when she was asked “What does it take to become a success?” Her answer “Motivation and determination.” Robinson was accorded a round of applause.
The South Jersey Chapter of Buffalo Soldiers, attired in bright yellow shirts and cowboy hats, reminded the congregation of the origins of the Buffalo Soldiers. They were Negro soldiers from the Union Army after the Civil War, who, collectively, presented the Army with a problem.
They could not be sent back to the South, where many were once slaves. So, they were formed into a unit and sent west into Indian Territory. There, they strung telegraph lines, and became early cowboys, said Edward “Chip” Harshaw of Wildwood.
Burgess “Butch” Hamer, chapter vice president, recounted how a Negro woman was the first to enlist in the Army, and went undetected for two years, prior to an illness that resulted in a physical examination and realization that she was not allowed to be in the service. She was discharged, but was remembered for the high quality of her service, and being able to be an equal to the men in the unit.
Mistress of ceremony for the afternoon was Sister Evelyn McClurkin, who proudly displayed a Black History collection of printed material in the adjacent dining room of the church. That collection took place over the last 14 years, she said. One of its proudest is the election of Barack Obama as U.S. President, something, she said, that proves to all boys and girls, that everything is possible if they work hard enough to achieve it.