Rev. Simon honored

By Don Shilling

Simon is honored for his efforts as a pastor and in energizing voters.

YOUNGSTOWN — About 175 people turned out Saturday to honor the Rev. Kenneth Simon, and that just didn’t seem right to him.

“Being a person who doesn’t serve for honor, this is a strange thing,” said the Rev. Mr. Simon as he stood in the hallway of Byzantine on the Grove, looking at the crowd.

In fact, the pastor of New Bethel Church rejected the opportunity when the Youngstown Warren Black Caucus first asked him to be the guest of honor at its first banquet.

Jaladah Aslam, caucus president, didn’t take “no” for an answer, however. She understood that Mr. Simon didn’t want accolades, but she made another appeal.

“My argument was to do it for the caucus. Do it for the cause. You can grin and bear it,” she said.

That’s just what Mr. Simon did as local, state and federal politicians presented proclamations to the pastor.

Aslam said she was grateful Mr. Simon was willing to be honored because the dinner helped to raise money for the caucus’s efforts to educate and mobilize voters. Funds will be used in next year’s elections, she said.

Mr. Simon said it is important for voters to be energized and for the minority community to bring issues to the awareness of elected officials.

“We need to have a voice in the community that we pay taxes in,” he said.

That’s why he was one of the founders 10 years ago of the Community Mobilization Committee, which works on voting issues. He has been president of the committee for its entire existence.

One of the speakers at the dinner, U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, encouraged the crowd to continue efforts to persuade people to become politically active.

“There’s so much left to do. Civil rights is unfinished business,” said Fudge, of Cleveland, D-11th.

People must raise their voices and demand action from political officials to reduce crime, especially drug-dealing and prostitution on city streets, and improve education, she said.

“It’s time we take our cities back, street by street,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, thanked Mr. Simon for being involved in local politics. Ryan said elections do matter, and as an example, he cited the federal health-care bill that was just passed by the House.

Ryan also talked about how much he likes the pastor and his wife, Wendy, as people. He mentioned how he came to know them when he went to New Bethel as he first started campaigning for his congressional seat.

“I just absolutely fell in love with the Simons and their impact on the community and their work on behalf of the community,” Ryan said.

shilling@vindy.com