Martin Luther King Jr. Day is often described as a day on, not a day off, and that spirit was on full display January 19 when the Newport County Branch of the NAACP hosted a day of programs beginning with a morning Torch Run from Portsmouth to Thompson Middle School.
A luncheon at Green Valley Country Club was well attended and featured musical selections by Brenda Delassanta and three generations of Ermino P. Lisbon’s family presenting a scholarship to Bryanna Pierre, a first-year student at Salve Regina University. Barbara Lisbon took a moment to thank Victoria Johnson for her constant support and guidance, prompting a standing ovation for a woman who “never takes a day off.”
Newport City Councilor Lynn Ceglie served as Mistress of Ceremony, acknowledging the progress made since Dr. King’s time while emphasizing democracy always demands more. She reminded those gathered that the responsibility now rests with everyone in the room, encouraging them to continue to “speak up and show up.”
Local NAACP President Jimmy Winters posed the question, “Is the dream fading?” before urging the audience to continue working hand in hand to ensure it does not. Guest speaker Dr. Michael Browner reflected on the sacrifices of those who came before and spoke of how the Lord often sends others ahead to fight one’s battles.
Browner eloquently wove the stories of civil rights icons Ruby Bridges and Vivian Malone into his remarks, while also honoring a Newport educator who shaped his own life, Pauline Hudson Barge, a Selma native who moved to Newport in 1968. He shared how they remained connected from his first day of school as a student to his first day as a social studies teacher, when he invited Barge to help organize and decorate his classroom. Browner described her influence as “heritage, legacy, and the Black experience in America.”
“All I ever want is for students to think for themselves and look out for others,” Browner declared, before challenging everyone in attendance, especially the younger generation, to focus on “working on their dash and making an everlasting difference in the lives of others.”
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