Family, finance, faith important to future, speaker tells banquet

Ramona Seaborn Williams, speaker; Wayne Martin,chapter president, Walthall NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet

Ramona Seaborn Williams told those attending the annual NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet Saturday they need to be fighting for family, finance and faith.
Listing family among those topics, she encouraged couples to stay together, remain married, and keep families together. She said soaring divorce rates are unacceptable.
She stressed good education, challenging to work for better schools. “Walthall County has a “D” letter grade and a 62% graduation rate,” she said, noting that is unacceptable.
She challenged members to educate their children–and neighbors–on the right to vote, and the history of the Voting Rights Act, along with the sacrifices of many in order for blacks to vote.
“How many voter registration drives have you held?” she asked.
As for financial opportunities, she said businesses are not taking advantage of opportunities available to them.
“Only one Walthall County business is registered at the Mississippi Development Authority–Harvest Time Guest House. If you’re going to be in the fight we have to have more businesses doing business the way business should be done.”
As for faith, she told her audience that this is the largest generation of unchurched people. Faith, she said, is the reason for the strides made by black people in gaining their rights. She stressed that faith should remain high in order to reach higher goals.
And she told her audience: “Don’t get comfortable.”
“It scares me when we get comfortable. When you get comfortable, you get relaxed. We have issues, and being quiet doesn’t get it done.”