“Hand in hand, moving forward together.”
The Rockbridge NAACP is starting the new year by expressing a welcoming message of
inclusivity for people of all backgrounds in the Rockbridge, Lexington and Buena Vista
community.
The Rockbridge NAACP message, says chapter president Rev. Reginald A. Early, may be seen
via a billboard on I-81 South at exit 202: “Hand in hand, moving forward together.”
It is in keeping, he added, with the chapter’s continuing mission, “to support diversity, inclusion,
and equality for all members of our community — for residents, for the students, faculty and staff
of the colleges, for visitors and newcomers. In a time when so often people feel their differences,
simply put, we mean everyone.”
In other initiatives, Rev. Early emphasized the chapter’s ongoing work with the three public
school districts of Rockbridge, Buena Vista and Lexington to recruit people of color to their
teaching and administrative staffs. “There’s a common understanding with our educators,” he
said, “that the best preparation we can give our young people going out into the world is for them
to experience the world’s diversity right here at home.”
In keeping with that goal, the chapter continues to fund educational opportunities through the
Ted DeLaney fund, which offers grants for young people K-12 and for higher education, and the
Irma Thompson initiative, which supports the recruitment of teachers and school administrators.
In the past year, the Irma Thompson fund welcomed Lylburn Downing teacher Maria Nava, and
in 2022, Coach Martin Cox of Rockbridge County High School and Robert McCoy of Parry
McCluer High School. . Since 2021, the DeLaney fund has supported five college and trade
school students, and over forty young people in educational summer programs.
The chapter’s health committee supports health and wellness initiatives, such as promotion of
Carilion Clinic’s Community Health Assessment, which is conducted every three years. The
committee worked with Carilion to distribute the survey to local communities of color. The survey is designed to identify the needs and health issues of residents throughout the area and
leads to the establishment and funding of programs and services to address those needs.
Other health-related chapter activities in the past year included encouragement of outdoor
activities, a potluck social at the historic Green Pastures Recreation Area in Longdale, and
continued efforts to connect services to our community and our community to existing services.
In other chapter outreach, the legal redress committee works with Washington & Lee law
students to investigate and address legal issues including civil rights violations of those who have
been incarcerated. The economic development committee is focusing on affordable housing
issues and the visibility of local indigenous and Black history as an economic driver for the
tourism economy. The chapter continues to support economic initiatives in the cities and the
county.
The chapter’s annual Freedom Fund banquet serves to highlight the accomplishments and
contributions of Black members of the community. In 2023, the banquet was held at the James E.
Thompson Community Center in Glasgow, to celebrate the center’s expanding role in
community education and the arts, and the notable work of Roberta Lyle. Funds from the
banquet go to support a wide range of yearlong activities, including Juneteenth, the MLK
Community Parade, voter registration, attending Legislative Day at the state capitol, and support
of National NAACP goals, as well as the chapter’s local educational, economic and community
outreach goals.
“It’s encouraging to see how many initiatives are coming from and supported by our general
membership,” said Rev. Early. “We encourage members of the Rockbridge, Lexington and Buena
Vista community to join us at our monthly meetings and in the work of building a stronger, more
open and truly welcoming society.”