St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church and the Pensacola Branch of the NAACP will sponsor two events promoting racial unity in Pensacola On Monday, August 25th at 6:00 p.m.and Wednesday, August 27th at 6:00 p.m.

PRESS RELEASE FROM NAACP-Pensacola
Media Contact:
Dr. Eurydice Stanley
(612) 888-7934

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church and the Pensacola Branch of the NAACP will sponsor two events promoting racial unity in Pensacola this week. On Monday, August 25th at 6:00 p.m., the Pensacola NAACP Youth Council will host an event open to youth (ages 5-18) on the campus of St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church, 620 E. Jordan Street in Pensacola.  A separate event geared for adults will be offered Wednesday, August 27th at 6:00 p.m. in the same location. 

The guest speaker will be Deborah Watts, Founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation (ETLF) and Till family member. Emmett Till was lynched on August 28^th, 1955.  His murder was among events that spurred the modern civil rights movement. The Till Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a legacy of hope and building a bridge from the past to the present and future in memory of Till and in honor of his Mother, Mamie Till Mobley. Both events will take place during a very critical week for Watts, as August 28^th marks the 59th anniversary of Till's lynching. "August 28, 1955 set America, activists, artists, our youth, faith leaders and other emerging leaders on a course for much needed change in this country," said Watts. “The need continues.” Watts will facilitate the documentary, “Who Killed Emmett Till?” assisted by NAACP members.

Dr. John Veasley, President of the Pensacola Branch of the NAACP, sees the events as a means to identify strategies to better unify the Pensacola community. "We are providing two forums to best reach each target audience,” he said. "Our goal is to address the concerns of each group in a way that is most conducive to their understanding, collaboration, and most importantly, action.” 

The scheduled unity events are timely in the wake of the recent fatal shootings of Mike Brown and Kajieme Powell, young African American men, at the hands of white police officers in Missouri.  The international protests of these murders continue to hold the world captive. Brown will be laid to rest Monday, August 25th at 10 a.m. 

"I do not believe that it is by chance that our ‘Time for Unity’ events have fallen during the current crisis in Missouri," said Dr. Joseph Marshall, Pastor of St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church.  "Now is the time for us to come together. We encourage all participants to come and communicate openly with the goal of better understanding one another. We will offer a safe, loving and supportive forum designed to maintain our focus on the most important issue - unity.” 

On Thursday, supporters are encouraged to wear black and white attire as a protest against hate, violence and racism. The symbolic clothing will represent a silent, yet powerful way to show personal commitment and remembrance of those lost in the fight for freedom. The Emmett Till  LegacyFoundation requests pictures posted on personal social media networks using the hashtags #NEVERAGAINEmmettTill or #RememberEmmettTill, as well as on the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmett-Till-Legacy-Foundation/138927669624

For more information about Pensacola’s “A Time for Unity in Black and White” events, contact Dr. Eurydice Stanley, Pensacola Unity (ETLF) Ambassador at (612) 888-7934, or St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church at (850) 432-0568.  For more information about the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation or to make donations to the scholarship fund, please visit www.emmetttilllegacyfoundation.com.

WUWF Article on event and interview click hear: http://wuwf.org/post/pensacola-events-designed-promote-racial-unity

edited by ETLF Aug 26, 2014