POTTSTOWN >> Sunday marked the anniversary of the founding of the NAACP and one area church recognized the decades worth of work the organization has done in the service of civil rights.
The Bethel Community Church of Pottstown celebrated Black History Month and the anniversary of the founding of the NAACP during its service Sunday. The Rev. Dr. Vernon Ross Jr. said the celebration was critically important for Pottstown.
“It’s more than just black history,” he said. “It is really looking back at where we’ve come from since Feb. 12 of 1909 and all the work that still needs to be done.”
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in New York with the mission of ending raced-based discrimination, said Tonya Sims, a congregation member who gave a presentation on the history of the organization.
“The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights for all persons and to eliminate race biased discrimination,” she said. The organization’s efforts led to anti-lynching laws, and desegregated schools following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The organization also played key roles in the 1963 march on Washington D.C., the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Representatives from the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP were in attendance for the service and thanked Ross and the Bethel community for inviting them.
“Today was a beautiful day. We had a beautiful service,” said Tyrone Robinson. “I thought the celebration was great. We have a rich history and I was glad we were able to come here and celebrate our history. In this year of 2017 there should not be a need for the NAACP. I’m a veteran … Why are black people treated unfairly in the country that we’re living? That bothers me. It hurts me that our government and people that hold positions in our government have not made an effort to ratify the situation of black people in this country.”
“I just wanted to say thank you to Bethel Community Church and Pastor Ross for holding the event and honoring the 108th anniversary of the NAACP,” said Johnny Corson, the chapter president. “Civil rights is honored and respected and in this day and age we need it more than ever before. Not just for people of color, but for the country as a whole. The NAACP has been a leader for fair housing, voting rights. We have always been a leader in bringing people together, affecting change and making mankind better. That’s what the days means a lot to me about and the celebration of the NAACP.”
The Rev. Adrian DeShon Reid, pastor of Greater Second Baptist Church of Freeport, N.Y., was a guest speaker during the service. He said he was thankful for the work performed by the NAACP.
“We thank God for what their strides are in making advancement for us as black, African Americans and at that time, colored people, better,” he said, before acknowledging the work that still needed to be done. “I think one of the things is education. Education is vital and I thank God for our young people doing better but we can be doing much better than we’re doing. Education is vital.”
Ross agreed adding black history was about the recognition of black Americans being treated fairly.
“That we are afforded the same rights and privileges that everyone else are afforded in this country,” he said. “We still have a mission to continue that work. For me black history is every month. The fight must continue everyday of the year, 365 days a year.”
