The commemoration will be held at 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Williamson (W.Va.) High School cafeteria and is open to the public free of charge.
The program will feature nationally known dramatists and W.Va. History Alive Scholars Karen Vuranch and Joseph Bundy in live impersonations of civil rights legends including: Mary White Ovington, James Weldon Johnson, Mordecia Johnson and Pearl Buck.
A question and answer period will follow the dramatic presentations.
At 7:30 p.m., the 100th Anniversary Banquet, a ticketed event, will follow at the same location.
Ban-quet tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.
Local NAACP President Johnny Fullen was the first African American elected mayor of Matewan. He held that position for 14 years. He has also served as superintendent and assistant superintendent of the Mingo County Board of Education, as well as president of the local school board.
The biggest obstacle facing the younger generation today, Fullen said is a lack of knowledge of the ongoing civil rights struggle and respect for those who have paved the way.
“Many don’t know about the history until they get out there and run up against prejudice,” Fullen said. “It’s still out there and they need to prepare themselves on how to deal with it.”
Education, Fullen said is the most effective way to deal with any injustice.
“In Mingo County we are working with a young mother, a private detective and an attorney pursuing something that we think had racial elements,” Fullen said. “We are trying to work through it, but it takes time and we want to make sure we are going about it the right way.”
Fullen said the struggle for civil rights is still prevalent and the fight continues.
“This is a battle for equality for all, not just for blacks,” he said. “In my lifetime I have helped more whites than blacks because they (whites) have come to me more often asking for help.”
For more information call (304) 235-3268.
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