Community remembers King with lively Gospel program at VGCC

Area residents and a diverse group of choirs braved cold, rainy weather to gather at Vance-Granville Community College’s Civic Center on Jan. 17 for the college’s annual gospel celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.

The Vance-Granville Community College Choir, which included college students, faculty and staff, kicked off the program, under the direction of VGCC Workforce Investment Act (WIA) staff member Blondelle Edgerton and student Iverson Landis. It was the choir’s first performance. The VGCC Choir was followed by the South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church Choir, under the direction of Rhonda Pulley; the Warren County High School Choir, under the direction of Dr. Yvonne Guyton; and the Work in Progress choir, under the direction of Rev. Roy Burroughs.

Granville County resident Curtis McRae, a VGCC and North Carolina Central University graduate who works as a recreation specialist for the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, served as emcee. The event was open to college students, faculty and staff, as well as to the general public, free of charge. VGCC WIA Director Sylvia Jones chaired the subcommittee of the college’s Global Awareness Committee that organized the program.

Special guest Delano Rackard of Raleigh, a favorite from several previous Gospel Fest programs, returned to VGCC to read excerpts from three of Dr. King’s famous speeches, including one delivered in 1961 at Lincoln University, a 1967 speech to an African Methodist Episcopal church conference, and the 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Rackard, a retired state employee, is well-known to area audiences for his uncanny ability to replicate Dr. King’s voice and style. He thanked the college for inviting him back for the occasion, and noted the appropriateness of the location, since King often spoke about the importance of education.

Remarks by VGCC Dean of Business and Applied Technologies Bobby Van Brunt and President Randy Parker rounded out the program, before the assembled choirs and community members joined in “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Above: VGCC student Iverson Landis (left) directs the college choir during the annual Martin Luther King Holiday gospel celebration in the VGCC Civic Center. (VGCC photo)