N.C. Crime Control Secretary speaks at VGCC Franklin Campus Black History celebration
A state cabinet secretary’s reflections on unity and understanding were among highlights of the Black History Month celebration at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus on Feb. 24.
Bobbie Jo May, the dean of the Franklin County Campus , welcomed students, faculty, and staff to the event, saying that it was a chance “to celebrate our past, our present and our future.” The program continued as two VGCC students from Louisburg — Sheresa Wright, an Early Childhood Associate major, and Derrick Lucas, a Human Services Technology/Substance Abuse major — sang an inspirational duet. Next, Olu Ariyo, the college liaison for the Franklin County Early College High School , introduced the winners of the high school’s Black History Poetry/Essay Contest, sophomore Akira Romero and freshman TyNesha Gupton, to present their winning entries on the topic of diversity. Ariyo then announced that two students of the high school had won first and second prizes in a Black History poster contest that was open to students at all four of VGCC’s early college high schools. The top prize went to FCECHS freshman Christine Burke, while her schoolmate Casey Thompson was the runner-up. Vance County Early College High School student Amy Sutton placed third.
Reuben F. Young, the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, served as the keynote speaker for the event. He was introduced by Franklin Campus director Anthony Pope, who was Young’s classmate at Sanderson High School in Raleigh. Young, who was appointed by Gov. Perdue in 2009, coordinates the state’s homeland security efforts and oversees a department that includes the state Highway Patrol, Alcohol Law Enforcement, the North Carolina National Guard, Butner Public Safety and other divisions. He has had a long, distinguished career in public service as a lawyer and prosecutor, including serving as chief legal counsel to the governor of North Carolina. Young, who majored in U.S. history at Howard University, told attendees that it was “difficult to separate black history from American history.” He emphasized that “we are all Americans, and our lives are intertwined with one another.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “dreamed in color,” Young said, as he pointed out the evidence of the civil rights movement’s success in that today’s students live and learn together. “I urge you to know your history and the history of others, and learn to tell the story,” Young said. “Knowing where you came from is a source of strength. That’s a race-neutral proposition.”
The program concluded with brief remarks by Dr. Randy Parker, the president of VGCC, followed by refreshments provided by the college’s Student Government Association.
Above: Reuben Young, the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety (standing) speaks to VGCC and Franklin County Early College High School students at the Black History Month celebration on the college’s Franklin County Campus. (VGCC photo)
