WHITESBORO – Everyone who attended the 35th anniversary of Concerned Citizens of Whitesboro Inc.’s (CCWI) annual reunion festival, Sept. 1-3, heard how to “be bold” in their efforts to take on challenges in today’s divided world.
Citing former North Carolina Congressman George Henry White’s “boldness” in co-founding Whitesboro in the era of Jim Crow laws, CCWI President Bernie Blanks Sr. explained how the African American community from the South was given an opportunity to move north when White started selling land in 1903.
“In our opinion, White took on the challenge of providing an opportunity for Blacks to move north, start their own businesses, and raise their families more successfully than they might have been able to in the South,” Blanks said. “Our interpretation of White’s goals and what he accomplished was very bold, so we decided our theme this year would be ‘Be Bold! Believe It and Achieve It!'”
White, a Republican, served in the U.S. Congress from 1897-1901, after serving in the North Carolina Legislature. After the Democratic-dominated Legislature passed a suffrage amendment that disenfranchised Blacks in the state, White did not seek a third term. He moved permanently to Washington, D.C., where he had a law practice and became a banker, moving again to Philadelphia in 1906.
After White left office, no other African American served in Congress until 1929.
Blanks, who was born in Whitesboro and has been involved with CCWI for 25 years, said the organization “firmly believes in education and bringing the community together.”
The organization has a free homework club and nominal fee-based summer camp program that has welcomed thousands of students and campers to a safe environment, full of learning opportunities and fun. Its scholarship program has awarded more than $450,000 to county students seeking to further their education in college.
Anna Murphy was recognized for her volunteer efforts with CCWI’s homework club and summer camp program, while businessman Bob Noel was honored for his philanthropy and support. McDonald’s, in Court House, was recognized for providing a meal once a month for 80 students in the homework club. U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Commanding Officer Warren Judge was also recognized for his achievements.
Two guest speakers, Yolanda Melville, senior counsel in the New Jersey Office of Attorney General and director of community engagement, and Pastor Aaron Campbell, executive director of the Philadelphia-based Level Up program and pastor of the Antioch Christian Fellowship Church, of Philadelphia, both spoke about how they and others can embrace “being bold” to change the world.
Melville talked about actions she and the Attorney General’s Office have taken to engage communities and deepen trust between marginalized segments of society.
“Your efforts need to be intentional and thoughtful,” she encouraged. “They must be bold. Bold is a trait people see in you, and bold ideas lead to changing ideas. Boldness is not a one-time encounter. It’s being present in your purpose.”
“We are standing on the soil of White’s bold idea,” she added. “We can be agents of change. We can be bold, we are bold, and we need to be bold in all aspects of our communities and our lives.”
Campbell talked about his work with at-risk youth in Philadelphia and urban ministry through an anti-violence holistic program that involves 900 youths, ages 10-25, from 81 different schools.
“We’re the only neutral location where all the gangs will meet,” he noted, adding that there were 300 shootings in Philadelphia-based recreation centers in 2019, but none at Level Up’s center.
Campbell used the acronym SEVERE to demonstrate how individuals can “be bold.”
“S – stay a student,” Campbell said. “Readers are leaders. Be agents of change and have an activism mindset. Be culturally literate. Always stay green, because once you turn ripe, you rot the next day.”
“E” stands for “emulating your elders,” and Campbell encouraged the audience to share their stories of what, how, and why.
“Get a vision,” Campbell said about “V – Be a pioneer.”
He also urged individuals to educate themselves about their vision.
“If you need to write grants or raise funds, then learn how to do it,” he urged. “Learn from the circle (of people) around you.”
Finally, he urged individuals to re-examine their vision, E, because it may need to change or evolve over time.
“If you want to be bold, then you need to be SEVERE,” he said.
He credited the baby boomer generation for “showing mainstream America how a generation can pave the way for change.”
“There was no playbook with the Civil Rights Movement, or Vietnam,” he said of those turbulent times. “No one had changed things for Black and brown people before. It was a huge leap forward in showing how Black and brown professionals can be entrepreneurial and be a force to be recognized. It was a really unique generation.”
Contact the author, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
