43
Mayors attest to banquet theme
Photo
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams
One official said the journey affects all people.
GIRARD — With the election of a black president of the United States 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 groundbreaker 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 judgments based on the color of someone’s skin, he added.
A recent Rolling Stone magazine article focusing on two robbers made some derogatory comments about Youngstown. The mayor said the author didn’t talk to community leaders such as Youngstown State University President Dr. David Sweet or Thomas Humphries, president of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. The only people he talked to, the mayor said, were the criminals.
Holmes, a deacon at Trinity Fellowship, said 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.”
In McDonald, the village works with the school district to help provide amenities at no cost that the school district couldn’t afford.
When it comes to working together financially, he said, “it’s no longer a case of ‘mine and yours.’”
wilkinson@vindy.com