The NAACP will be hosting its first annual ‘Civil Rights: Then and Now’ event on MLK Day on January 17 from 1-3 pm, CST, at Corinthian Baptist Church, 819 33rd Ave. North. This event will present two separate panels and will discuss the Civil Rights struggle of African Americans in the city of Nashville from the 1960s to the present day.
Panelists for the ‘Then’ portion of the event will include Rev. Enoch Fuzz, Corinthian Baptist Church; Ludye Wallace, past president of the NAACP; Walter Searcy, attorney; Rev James (Tex) Thomas; Dr. Michael Grant, past president of the NAACP; Rev. Steve Handy, past president of the NAACP; and Rev. Sunny Dickson, past president of the NAACP. State Sen. Brenda Gilmore will serve as moderator.
The Civil Rights Now panelist will be Jeni Calhoun, real estate entrepreneur; Larry Tunley, community activist; Angela Stansberry of the Peoples Plaza; Odessa Kelly, Stand Up! Nashville; Timothy Hughes, executive board member of NAACP; Jessica Williams, real estate broker; and Erica Perry of the Black Nashville Assembly. The moderator for the Now Panel will be John Little, board member of Metro Nashville Public Schools.
The moderators will present specific questions, with a determined time for response by the panelists. There will be a time for rebuttal from both panels with questions and answers from the audience.
“This will be great dialogue and discussion, and an opportunity to bridge the gap of Civil Rights between generations”, said Rev. Venita Lewis, chairperson of the event, and 3rd vice president of the NAACP. “One of the main goals of this event is to educate the ‘Now’ generation of our struggles and accomplishments from the past. This event will give us the opportunity to hear from younger leaders and to understand what they see as barriers and issues for our people today.”
“We are seeking to provide education for the younger generations which are not available in a textbook or in a classroom, but are relevant to our mutual struggle,” said Timothy Hughes, co-chair for the event.
Admission is free and opened to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
