WEST MIDDLESEX Chemist, 'Survivor' contestant says attack has united races

Ramona Gray told the Mercer County NAACP she hoped but didn't expect to see racial harmony in her lifetime.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. -- The will to survive binds people together, creating a united force more powerful, more durable than any single spirit.
Ramona Gray told members of the Mercer County branch of the NAACP she has seen that firsthand, once as a contestant on the first version of the "Survivor" television series and once as an American in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Gray was the featured speaker at the 38th annual Freedom Fund Banquet at the Radisson Hotel on Friday evening.
After the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, America was different, Gray said. Reading from her journal, she noted that television talk-show hosts read Scripture, journalists printed prayers and "skin color was covered by the ash of burning towers." Race, religion and ethnicity no longer divided people as Americans united, reaching out to help one another, sending money to families they don't know, donating blood and displaying flags, she said.
"Do we really want to go back to normal?" Gray asked. "I hoped but never expected to see racial harmony, at least not in my lifetime. Did 5,000 people have to die for it to happen?"
Strength in numbers: The unity, power and strength Americans have exhibited make this country strong. The black community has always known there is strength in numbers, she said. Now, all of America knows it, but she wondered if the country will sustain it.
The good thing about having trouble, she said, is that it makes people realize how good they've had it. It puts faith to the test, but trouble can't last forever. All Americans have greatness within them; with unity, that power and strength is multiplied, she said, adding, "Life is about how you feel about yourself."
Gray said she believes skin color, gender or ethnicity should not be obstacles to greatness. "Where you come from does not need to determine where you end up," she stressed.
Chemist, activist: In addition to working as a research chemist at Merck & amp; Co. Inc., where she develops chemical compounds that may be used to combat disease, and speaking at various engagements around the country, Gray volunteers with the Betty Shabazz Delta Academy, mentoring young girls and fostering their interests in math and science.
Gray, a graduate of Howard University, where she received bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry, is the only black and one of only three women in her research group at Merck & amp; Co.
Others honored: Five community service awards were also presented during the banquet: Russell C. Phillips Sr. received the James Mendez Community Service Award; the Rev. Thomas J. Bolling, Lynda Moss-McDougal, Minority Health Advocacy and Community Action Agency received President's Awards.