The Salisbury-Rowan Branch of the NAACP is celebrating its 18th Annual Harvest Banquet Friday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Event Center at Livingstone College.
This annual fundraising event brings together corporate sponsors, donors and the faith community for an evening meant to inspire and challenge people to give greater concern and action on issues such as poverty in Rowan County and the state. The challenge is to use the power of the ballot to effect change.
The theme is “Your Power! Your Decision! Vote!” The speaker, Dr. John Mendez, is the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem and is a prophet, preacher, pastor, philosopher and an activist. He has been the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist since 1983. He has organized various ministries to raise the consciousness, self-awareness and to instill pride in the members, especially the youth through the Kemet Academy and the Kemet Summer Youth Camp. This camp provides opportunities for summer employment for teenagers and young adults.
He is a leader within the Progressive National Baptist Convention and in the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. He has served on the Urban-Rural Commission of the World Council of Church International boards in Nirobi, Kenya and the National Council of Churches, Partners in Ecumenism. He also served on the Racial Justice Working Group Board through the General Board of the National Council of Churches. He was a delegate to the United Nations Conference on Racism in Quito, Ecuador, where he assisted in writing the United States document that was presented in Durban, South Africa.
Mendez is a civil and human rights activist. He is a founding member and chairperson of Citizens United for Justice that led the city of Winston-Salem in obtaining a citizens police review board. He was a founding member and participant that brought together clergy, law enforcement and the community in a united effort to reduce gun violence in Winston-Salem. He serves on the Daryl Hunt Innocence Project Board and provides counseling for the re-entry program for ex-offenders.
Music will be provided by Moment’s Notice Jazz Trio as guests gather and during dinner. The Harvest Banquet committee members are Velveeta Hairston, Kay Norman, Chair, Corine Parks, Quintin Woodward and Yolanda Woods. Dr. Bryant Norman Jr. is branch president.
Elections for the NAACP board will be Nov. 8. The regular meeting is Nov. 1.