Following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris a little more than a week ago, it feels as though life as we know it will never be the same. With that I wonder if the terrorists opened fire on us here in New York City, specifically in the hood, would the young thugs with guns come out and protect us? Would they shoot at them the way they shoot at each other and anyone caught in between? Or would they run for cover and hide faster than any of us?
I think it is pretty safe to admit that I would follow President Barack Obama to the ends of the Earth. I have found him to be a fearless leader, and I admire his strengths and abilities. While I wasn’t particularly happy that the banks received all the stimulus money and felt that checks should have been distributed directly to the people since we are the ones who spend and keep the economy going, I still continue to applaud the president. Now, for the first time in eight years, I totally disagree with the decision to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country. My heart goes out to the innocent, but the world is at war. We have a hard enough time in America as it is. Between ongoing racism, American terrorists and the rest of the craziness, adding Syrian refugees with no proper documentation, which is totally useless anyway, is making a bad situation worst. I’m just saying.
Over 750 supporters, family and friends attended the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund at the New York Hilton to celebrate its 75th anniversary. The National Equal Justice Award Dinner honored former Attorney General Eric H. Holder with the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, along with two international foundations. The celebration recognized LDF’s work, and served as a call to action to rally around the broad racial justice agenda that the organization has advanced. Dinner guests were treated to a performance by members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, dynamic speakers and an inspiring film screening depicting LDF’s 75-year history.
Distinguished guests included civil rights leaders, law firms, corporations, entertainers, public officials and other notables. President and CEO of Atlantic Philanthropies Chris Oechsli, whose organization received one of two National Equal Justice Awards, graciously stated, “Our country is in an unprecedented moment in its recognition of the need to confront our nation’s history of racial bias. LDF brings a combination of vision, prescience and strategy to fill the void.”
President Darren Walker, who accepted the National Equal Justice Award on behalf of the Ford Foundation, called racial discrimination and the persistence of poverty the “twin scourges” of inequality. However, he said, the work of LDF, its leadership and Ford’s long relationship with the organization motivated him to be optimistic about the future.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of LDF, thanked LDF’s longstanding generous patrons, including the late philanthropist William Scheide and the board of directors of LDF, for making it possible for LDF to defend the rights of its clients and pursue transformative justice. Proceeds from the benefit support LDF’s groundbreaking, interdisciplinary policy reform, research and strategic communications work, facilitated through its Thurgood Marshall Institute. Ifill also announced the establishment of an Eric Holder Fellowship that will enable a new generation of lawyers to join LDF’s ranks.
Holder, in accepting the award, was reminded of when he served as a legal intern with LDF during the early stages of his career, where he was in the company of lawyers who followed in Marshall’s footsteps. It was there that he gained and reinforced his sense of humility and commitment to civil rights work. Holder continued by citing that discrimination and criminal justice reform is the unfinished legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and credited LDF as a key catalyst for fostering a “beloved community” in full support of equal rights and justice. “In the history of this organization, every generation is tested and called upon to make real the promise of our democracy,” said Holder. “We must honor those who sacrificed so much so that we might enjoy that which they were cruelly denied. I accept this honor and pledge my desire to work with all of you and this essential and beloved organization in the effort to guarantee for our fellow citizens a nation that lives up to its founding doctrines.”
Among those in attendance were Bruce Gordon and Tawana Tibbs, Marva Smalls, Carol Sutton Lewis, Elizabeth Alexander, Charles Hamilton, Isabel Wilkerson, Nina Wells, Gabriella Morris, Robert Battle, Susan Fales-Hill, Darren Walker, Elaine Jones, Darren Walker, Tony Coles, Star Jones, Alana Morales, Fred Terrell, Gayle King, Judith Byrd, Angela Vallot, Ted Shaw, Gail O’Neal, Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson, Ted Wells, Christopher Williams, Lydia Mallett, Janai Nelson, Keli Goff, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Valencia Macon, Lu-Shawn Thompson, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson and Ackneil “Trey” Muldrow.
Columbia University will announce the opening of the David N. Dinkins Archives a reception entitled “Our Mayor, David N. Dinkins Leadership, Legacy, Archives.” The reception features samples from the collection and a panel discussion with Dean Alondra Nelson, dean of social science and professor of sociology and gender studies, Columbia University, David Paterson, the 55th governor of New York, and Dinkins, the city’s 106th mayor. Welcome remarks will be given by Ann Thorton, vice provost and university librarian. Ester Fuchs, professor of public affairs and political science, will moderate.
Since his retirement as mayor, Dinkins has been a professor in the practice of public affairs at Columbia’s School of International Public Affairs. The event will take place Dec. 3 at the School of International and Public Affairs, 420 W. 118th St., 15th floor. Registration is required.
The New York City Camp Fair will take place on the Upper East Side, Saturday, Dec. 12, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on the Upper West Side, 167 E. 75th St., between Lexington and Third avenues; Sunday, Dec. 13, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., 7 W. 83rd St., between Central Park West and Columbus Ave. There’s something about visiting a camp fair on a chilly winter’s day as it makes you think, “Can spring be far behind?”
Until next week … kisses