Allegany County NAACP forms new Community Relations Board

The following was sent to The Bottom Line as a press release from the NAACP Branch 7007 of Allegany County.

Allegany County NAACP forms new Community Relations Board

Following the Juneteenth “March for Justice” in downtown Cumberland, the local NAACP Branch 7007 of Allegany County wanted to sustain the spirit created by that march. A fundraising dinner, held on July 19, was made possible by the leadership and sponsorship of Josh Horevay, the chef/owner of the Allegania Restaurant, located on the Cumberland Downtown Mall, and Sylvio Finley McIntosh, founder/director of the Allegany Reparative Garden in Flintstone. The event featured a five course meal comprised of food sourced and graciously donated by Savage Mountain Farm, FireFly Farms, Honeymoon Farms, Fish Holler Farm & Allegany Reparative Garden.  Carmen Jackson, President of the local NAACP Branch, announced that the dinner raised $6,000. 

During the meal, Jackson spoke in commemoration of Congressman John Lewis who passed the day prior to the event. Lewis, the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, believed that voting rights was a central aspect in the promotion of civic change. Jackson echoed Lewis’ sentiments reminding those in attendance that “we cannot give in. We must keep the faith. Keep our eyes on the prize, and VOTE!” 
 
Jackson further reflected on the murder of George Floyd and how his memory has inspired our country to renew its commitment to racial equality. Speaking on this topic, Jackson recognized Chuck Ternent, the City of Cumberland Police Chief, who was an invited guest. “He has demonstrated his commitment to making sure that each individual in our community is safe and is treated with respect,” Jackson said of Ternent, “and the NAACP wants to help him make that commitment a reality.” 

Other attendees of the dinner included Frostburg State University President Ronald H. Nowaczyk and Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Artie Travis. Representatives of Allegany College of Maryland, including Dr. Kurt Hoffman, Senior Vice President for Instructional and Student Affairs: and Debra Frank, Program Director, School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, and a member of the Allegany County Board of Education; also attended the event. Bishop John B. McIntyre, Pastor Emeritus of Ebenezer Baptist Church, attended the event with his wife, Joyce. Also attending were Jennifer Walsh, Executive Director of The Greater Cumberland Committee; and Mike Koch and Pablo Solanet, Co-Founders of FireFly Farms; and many other community leaders. 

The occasion also included the announcement of the newly formed Allegany County NAACP Community Relations Board. Chaired by Dr. Thomas Bowling, recently retired from Frostburg State University and now Vice President of Student Affairs Emeritus, the organization seeks “to increase the communication and collaboration between organizations that are working on human rights and racial justice,” says Bowling. 

In addition to Jackson, Hoffman, Travis, Chief Ternent, Koch, and Walsh, the Board includes Ann Bristow, representative of the Women’s Action Coalition; the Honorable Judge Timothy Finan; Tifani Fisher, the Vice President of the Allegany County NAACP; Eugene Frazier, Cumberland City Council; Gorman “Mike” Getty III, a Cumberland Attorney; FSU student Austin Gillens; Anna Horevay, Public Finance Associate at McGuireWoods; Betsey Hurwitz-Schwab, representative of the Jewish community; ACM students Keaira Illiano and Stephen Kraft; Renee Mason, Allegany County Library System; Diane McMahon, Faculty Director for ACM’s College to Community Partnership Center; Cynthia Smith, Chief, FSU Police Department; Elizabeth Stahlman, City of Frostburg Administrator; Robin Summerfield, Western Maryland Field Representative for U.S. Senator Ben Cardin; Sidney Thomas, a Paralegal Specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice; FSU student Ariyana Ward; Dr. Sarah Welsh, Equity Coordinator for the Allegany County Public Schools; Evan West, UniServ director for the Allegany and Garrett county branches of the Maryland State Education Association: and Robin Wynder, Director, Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at FSU. In addition to the students identified above, student representatives from each Allegany County public high school will be named later.

Bowling says that he has been reflecting on the words of James Baldwin posted on a bulletin board by the pick-up window at Clatter, a coffee house in Frostburg: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Bowling continued to say, “I am looking forward to working with the talented and committed group of people that Carmen Jackson has identified to lead this effort. Together, we will be exploring the most effective ways to engage our community in facing issues related to racial justice.”  

 Jackson hopes that the committee will strengthen the relationship between existing groups of educators, social workers, law enforcement, faith-based groups, and others so we can “build a sense of community, trust, compassion, curiosity and intellectual humility.”  

Those interested in joining the Allegany County 7007 NAACP Branch can contact them by email: naacpalleganycountymd@gmail.com. The organization can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlleganyNAACP.

Inquiries about this press release should be directed to Carmen Jackson, President of the Allegany County 7007 NAACP Branch at jacksoncarmen95@gmail.com.

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