If this generation of black people want to make progress, they have to forget about marching — they need to run.
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
If this generation of black people want to make progress, they have to forget about marching — they need to run.
That was the message delivered by keynote speaker Andre Kelley Jackson at Lawrence High School’s annual black history celebration Friday night. Mr. Jackson is an engineer with Pratt and Whitney, and a motivational speaker.
The annual event also marked the bestowing of the inaugural “Trailblazer Award.” Among the six award winners were three Lawrence residents — a longtime community activist, a veteran lawmaker and a Rider University professor.
In his remarks, Mr. Jackson told the audience that black men and women need to think about where they have been, where they are now and where they are going. He said that when he thinks of black history, he thinks of Africa and his ancestors who were sold into slavery.
But progress has been made since the slaves were freed, he said. They have moved from the slave house to the White House — progress that was the result of the civil rights movement. And they made it happen through the protest march, which was one of the few tools at their disposal, he said.
Marching allows many people to move as one in a united effort, Mr. Jackson said. As people march, they get stronger and they march faster and they get to the point where they start running. And there is no faster way to get somewhere than by running, he said.
”My message to you is, if we can’t march, we have to run. The burden is on our generation to run. If a child can’t get an education because he is poor, we have work to do. But marching won’t get us there. We have to run,” Mr. Jackson said.
”It’s not enough to march. We must run because if we don’t, who will? We have to run, we have to win. That’s how you change things. It is time for our generation to run,” Mr. Jackson said.
While Mr. Jackson urged the audience to “run” for the benefit of future generations, the celebration also acknowledged the accomplishments of those who had come before. The purpose of the Trailblazer Award is to recognize those who have paved the way for those who will follow.
The six honorees — which included Lawrence community activist Fred Vereen Jr., state Sen. Shirley K. Turner and Rider University professor Evelyn McDowell — offered some insights and encouragement to the younger generation.
Mr. Vereen is the executive director of the Every Child Valued after-school enrichment program. He was instrumental in the creation of the Eggerts Crossing Village affordable townhouse development and also served as the first executive director of the Lawrence Neighborhood Center.
Mr. Vereen, who lives in Lawrence, said he was “most humbled” to be honored with the Trailblazer Award. But, he said, he hopes in time that Black History Month won’t be just one month — it will be 12 months. There is much black history to be acknowledged, he said.
Mr. Vereen urged the students to take steps to make a better society — whether working in a group or a committee of one — through kindness, love, compassion and respect for others. They can make a difference, he said.
Sen. Turner, who also lives in Lawrence, is a former Mercer County Freeholder and a former state assemblywoman. She is a former educator and is now the associate director of career services at Rider University.
Sen. Turner agreed that February is a short month for black history. She said she is “looking forward” to having a longer month to celebrate the achievements and contributions that blacks have made to the United States.
”Past heroes have paved the way and make it easy for those of us who are here tonight,” Sen. Turner said. “You are our only hope for the future. Education is the great equalizer and I would not be here without it. There is no place for mediocrity in the world because we are living in a global society.”
She urged the students to “reach back” and help bring along those who are behind them as they make their way to the top. She said she would not be where she is today, if not for the people who gave her a hand when she needed it.
Ms. McDowell, who teaches accounting at Rider and who lives in Lawrence, said she believes that black history is American history. Without the contributions of blacks, the United States and its history would look much different, she said.
Ms. McDowell said it is her hope that there won’t be a need for Black History Month because it will be woven into the fabric of schools’ curriculum. She also encouraged students to find out more about their own family background and who they are.
Ms. McDowell is the co-founder of the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, which is a new lineage society for people who can trace their heritage to black American slaves.
Patricia Kempton is an educator and has been honored by being named the Governor’s Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Education. She serves on the board of the Trenton Head Start program and the Henry J. Austin Community Health Center in Trenton.
Ms. Kempton told students not to take anything for granted. They don’t know what it’s like to have grown up in a segregated society, where there were separate water fountains for blacks and whites, she said. They can go where they want to go today, and they don’t have to wait in a store until all of the white customers have been served, she said.
”Watch your words, always do your best and don’t take (the slights) personally. Be generous with your friends. Live your truth,” Ms. Kempton said.
The Rev. Simeon D. Spencer, senior pastor of the Union Baptist Church in Trenton, has expanded the church’s ministries to include specialized programs for the elderly, married couples, youth, single adults, the homeless, ex-offenders, academic tutoring, job training, literacy, AIDS and addiction recovery resource counseling.
”It is particularly gratifying to have Lawrence High School think that anything I have done is ‘trailblazing,’” Rev. Spencer said. The award is a reminder of “how far we have come, how far we have to go and yet it shows that wonderful potential exists for future trailblazers that are waiting in the wings,” he said.
But the ones who should be honored are the parents who make a home, he said. He often tells young people that “whatever you do, money will be spent and clothes will wear out, but knowledge and education endure.”
And while Tracey Syphax, a Trenton entrepreneur and an ex-criminal offender, was slated to attend and to be honored as a trailblazer, he was unable to attend. He sent his brother, Darren Green, to accept the award for him.
Mr. Green said he had a conversation with some young people about important figures — from Booker T. Washington to James Baldwin to Martin Luther King Jr. Some could not identify those figures, he said, adding that “we have failed you. You don’t know where you came from or where you are going.”
”You have to ask yourself — how am I going to be a trailblazer? You have to work. Stop waiting around for someone to say, ‘Okay, you can be great.’ Stand up today,” he said.

