Mayor: Been there, done that

GIRARD —­ With the election of a black president of the United State possibly just days away, the Youngstown Branch of the NAACP had an appropriate theme for its 99th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet.

The theme this year was “Success is Not a Destination, It’s a Journey.”

The speakers Friday were Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and McDonald Mayor Glenn Holmes.

Each was the first elected black mayor in their communities. Williams was elected in 2005 and Holmes was elected in 2007.

Williams was also a ground-breaker in other areas. He is the city’s youngest mayor and the first independent to win the office in more than 80 years.

Both Williams and Holmes are supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, whose platform is based on change.

But efforts of the chapter to improve the community are not just for blacks.

“It’s about equality of all people,” said Steven Mickel, the branch president. “All people are equal.”

Mayor Williams agreed.

“It’s not just for African-Americans but for everyone in the country and world,” he said.

Other people have also been the target of discrimination.

“We’ve been there and done that,” Williams said.

But now there are many new cooperative initiatives between individuals and organizations that are working for the betterment of the Valley instead of making judgements based on the color of someone’s skin, he added.

Holmes, a deacon at Trinity Fellowship, said that love, kindness and meekness, “will blaze a wider trail” than hate and divisiveness.

Black baseball greats Hank Aaron and Willie Mays behaved professionally to fight prejudice. Their behavior, Holmes, said, “Showed people what they were like on the inside.”

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