We are all one blood, all part of the human race and each deserving of human dignity from the womb to the tomb.”
Dr. King, author and founder of Alveda King Ministries, is the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She reiterated his words that he dreamed of a world where children were judged by their character, not by the color of their skin.
Lisa BabbageDr. King was joined by Dr. Lisa Babbage, author of “The Black History Bible.” Dr. Babbage’s message was “if we put color above character, we forget we are uniquely created in the image of God. Color might say, ‘You can’t do that’ but character says, ‘You’re the only one that determines what you can and cannot do.’”
“We are making a difference,” said Reverend Dean Nelson who added his talents to the platform. “We must continue the struggle. We must never quit. We must show up and work as a team,” he admonished all attendees. Reverend Nelson is the Chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation and Executive Director of Human Coalition Action.
Inventions by Blacks throughout the decades were recounted by Denise Rumbaugh, 2nd Vice Chairwoman of the Gwinnett GOP.
The Gwinnett GOP embraces Dr. King’s philosophy and with the February meeting and banquet celebrate and recognize individuals in the Black community that have contributed to the betterment of the United States. As in the world, the issue of slavery is a stain on history. Today the Gwinnett GOP stands with Black conservatives who recognize change and progress has been made.
Chairman of the Black History Month steering committee and member of the Gwinnett GOP Board, Abednego Dahn, stated, “Tonight is an extension of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for and represented. We are making the progress that he envisioned. This foundational, inaugural event is a night of celebration.”
Winners of the Calling All Heroes Student contest were announced and presented their prizes. Caitlin Frison from Lanier Middle School won $250.00 for her presentation on Alonzo Herndon. His story of becoming a millionaire by successfully owning and operating three large barber shops in Atlanta inspires Frison to be an entrepreneur and own a bakery where her Brookies will be sold. Brookies are her creation and are a cross between a brownie and a cookie.
Larkspur John from Shiloh High School won $500.00. Her hero was Katherine Johnson who worked for NASA as a “human computer” and was featured in the movie, Hidden Figures. John wants to be an engineer.
Bob Christensen, a member of the Gwinnett GOP Board, conceived the event when the media began repeating the claim that Conservatives do not want Blacks to know their own history, because they don’t accept the conclusions of the 1619 project. Knowing this is not true, he set about to demonstrate that Conservatives want Blacks and all Americans to know the real history of America.
Dr. Babbage says, “Recognizing the contributions and the struggles of Black America is the responsibility of every American. As conservatives, we celebrate the impact that black heroes have had in building our nation and want to echo their contributions for generations to come. The Character Over Color initiative is just one of many ways Republicans continue to live out the unity to which we are called as Americans. We understand the struggles and pains of our shared history. During Black History Month, we put our shared accomplishments in the spotlight to conserve our future and the hope from our past.”
Dean NelsonConservative Republicans reject the conclusions reached by the author of “The 1619 Project” that America is intrinsically racist and is primarily the product of slavery and oppression, and the author’s assertion that the true founding of America was 1619. Without discounting the evils of slavery and oppression, we understand and affirm that America is primarily the product of the Declaration of Independence that established principles of freedom, the Constitution that established what Lincoln called “government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
America is the product of the men and women of character, of all races, colors and ethnic backgrounds, that have lived and worked and studied together, fought wars together and built businesses, churches and civic organizations that have thrived through the decades.
The Gwinnett GOP desires that all citizens celebrate the character of our Black American Heroes and that all citizens learn about and share the true history of America.
As we stand with conservative Blacks in Gwinnett County, we ask for policies that benefit all Americans such as the:
Promotion of individual responsibility
Protection of life through all stages of development and growth
Education that focuses on exceptional reading, writing, math and science skills
