The Arlington NAACP works to protect the rights of all local residents and seeks support from across the community, leaders said at the organization’s 79th annual Freedom Fund banquet.
“All together, we can accomplish so much,” branch president DeLishia Davis said at the Oct. 17 event, held on George Mason University’s Arlington campus.
Nearly 250 people turned out for the annual program, cochaired by Karen Nightengale and Tia Alfred.
The organization relies on “the strength of the people” to achieve its aims, said Nightengale, a former Arlington NAACP president.
In Arlington, the local NAACP chapter had participated in “a transformative year of civil-rights advocacy” by “standing fully together under a powerful banner,” said Sabrina Dent, director of the BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation.
The night’s keynote speaker was Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who touted election-security measures in advance of the Nov. 3 midterms.
“These are our elections — they are safe, they are fair, they are secure,” he said.
Jones said the NAACP represents “generations who refused to accept opportunities should be closed to them,” and said he would work to right past injustice.
“I take seriously the authority I have to do something about it,” he said.
Honored with the organization’s Charles P. Monroe Civil Rights Award was Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas, a Portsmouth Democrat who chairs the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Long prominent behind the scenes in local politics, Lucas in recent years has taken on a more visible role as a sparring partner against Republican legislators, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin and President Donald Trump.
“I’ve been all over the state raising hell all year,” Lucas said, “on the battlefield for justice and equality.”
“I’m not new to this,” Lucas said. “I grew up in the 1960s — I knew Jim Crow. I am a longtime warrior in this fight, and I ain’t no way tired.”
Five days after the award was bestowed, Lucas and several family members and associates were indicted today (Thursday) on federal charges related to racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy, all related to a cannabis business she co-owns. Federal officials did not immediately announce charges for each defendant.
In a response, Lucas issued a statement on the social-media platform X addressing the matter.
“I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down,” she wrote.
The award bestowed on Lucas is named in honor of former County Board member Charles Monroe, who died in office in 2003 and would have turned 70 years old this year.
Also receiving honors at the event:
- We of Action Arlington and its founder, Micaela Mejia Pond, were presented with the Esther Georgia Irving Cooper Civil Rights Activist of the Year Award
- OAR of Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church received the Willard W. “Woody” Brittain Community Appreciation Award
- Mummi Ibrahim, the county’s independent policing auditor, received the Henry L. Holmes Meritorious Service Award
- School Board member Monique “Moe” Bryant received the President’s Award, as did former NAACP president Nightengale for her service helping to lead banquet operations in recent years
Justus Kelley, the reigning Miss USA who won the Miss Arlington and Miss Virginia USA pageants on the way to her national crown, spoke about her role as a foster parent.
“The glitz and the glamor [of a pageant victory] is cool, but that’s not what matters,” she said, noting her work to “use that moment to make a statement” on behalf of foster children.
“We’re going to bring advocacy and awareness to communities,” Kelley said, praising the NAACP for its past and current efforts.
Her success was due in part to “the doors so many of you have opened” through the years, she said.
The national NAACP was founded in 1909, with the Arlington branch established in 1940. Early next year there likely will be a leadership change at the local level, with Davis finishing her two-year term and a successor being elected.
