Jubilee event held in Ocala

Speakers at the NAACP Jubilee held Jan. 7 at Mount Zion AME Church in Ocala, included, from left, Bishop James D. Stockton, III, president of NAACP Marion County Branch 5114; Bishop Frank Madison Reid, III, presiding prelate, 11th African Methodist Episcopal District, which covers Florida and the Bahamas; Rev. Rhella Murdaugh, pastor of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church; and Rev. Jerone Gamble, 1st vice president Branch 5114. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]

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Posted January 10, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, andy@ocalagazette.com

The annual NAACP Jubilee event on Jan. 7 in Ocala marked the 161st anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and called for action to ensure continued freedoms. The gathering was held at the 158-year-old Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, with the Rev. Rhella Murdaugh, serving as emcee.

The theme of the event was Protecting Our Right to Vote and several speakers stressed the importance of registering and voting. Marion County NAACP Chapter 5114 President Bishop James D. Stockton III told those gathered that their vote is their “voice.”

The program included rousing hymns sung by the Central Annual Conference Choir, addresses by several local clergy, interpretive dance and a recitation of the Emancipation Proclamation and Emancipation Litany by members of the NAACP Youth Council. The gathering also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Marion County Branch 5114 of the NAACP.

Rev. Jerone Gamble, first vice president of the local branch and extension director of the United Theological Seminary, called the Jan. 1, 1863, issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation “Black Independence Day.”

Gamble said the administration of the state of Florida is taking “extensive steps to be sure the history of Black people is not taught in (public) schools” and using “racist dog whistles like … critical race theory and stop woke for division and support.”

“The African American community must teach our own history (and) make teaching Black history a national movement,” Gamble said.

Gamble spoke about “building upon the foundation” of local civil rights pioneers and community activists such as Edward Daniel Davis, a member of the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame who fought for equality for black teachers in the late 1940s and 1950s; businessman and community benefactor Austin Long; and Mary Sue Riche, a longtime Ocala City Councilwoman and namesake of the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place.

Gamble encouraged the community to join together with the NAACP to increase reading levels, reduce teen pregnancy, stop gun violence and enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Marion County.

Ocala City Councilman Ire Bethea; Marion County School Board member Rev. Eric Cummings; Sannye G. Jones, area director, Region III NAACP Florida Stare Conference; and the Rev. Myra Sherman, a former Reddick Town Council member, also addressed the gathering. Several of the speakers stressed the importance of voting.

Guests included Thelma Edwards, the eldest living relative of Emmett Till, who’s racially charged murder in Mississippi in 1955 has been called a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

The “Jubilee Messenger” speaker, African Methodist Episcopalian Bishop Frank Madison Reid III, presiding prelate of the 11th AME District, which covers Florida and the Bahamas, was introduced by Stockton.

“Born again is awake; are you woke?” Reid said, making biblical references. He challenged the group of about 300 attendees to “stay woke” and be on guard against white supremacy and autocratic figures and said a rise in “nationalism which puts one color over another.”

Reid pointed to the recent resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay as the result of “racism” following an appearance before a Congressional committee. He called for the protection of Black women who are often victimized in crimes such as when taking public transportation to work at early hours. He commented that a “check” made to Black people by the country promising equal rights came back marked “insufficient funds,” referring to a remark made by Martin Luther King Jr., and indicated that a person’s rights might be taken while they sleep.

Highlights of the gathering included a praise dance by Abagail Rose-McCoy, the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Colin Mitchell and the Emancipation Litany by 10-year -old Katelyn McCullough.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation, which states “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious areas “are, and henceforward shall be free,” according to the National Archives.

“Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it did fundamentally transform the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Moreover, the Proclamation announced the acceptance of Black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators,” the website states.

The litany speaks of “actual freedom” for slaves on Juneteenth and that people of color face “systematic exclusion” from process although their “blood, sweat and tears helped build this nation.”

During the program, the Rev. Mikel James of Saint Joseph A.M.E. Church in Sparr offered an invocation and Narvella Haynes, chair of the NAACP branch’s membership committee, conducted a membership appeal.

Barbara Fitos and Donna Wilkerson helped with offertory and the Rev. T. Patrica Nelson, pastor of Mount Tabor A.M.E. Church in Ocala, conducted an invitation to discipleship.

Local A.M.E. churches made a $1,500 combined donation at the gathering.

During the program, acknowledgement was made of the 100^th anniversary of the formation of Marion County Branch 5114 of the NAACP, along with the 80^th anniversary of being officially chartered. Past presidents include the Rev. Frank G. Pinkston, pastor of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, teacher, coach and civil rights activist; James C. Cunningham Sr.; the Rev. Lorenzo Edwards; Whitfield Jenkins and his wife, Loretta Pompey Jenkins; L.C. Stevenson; the Rev. Reginald Willis Sr.; Brendien Mitchell Sr.; and TiAnna S. Greene.

To learn more about the local branch, go to FBcom/NAACPofMarionCounty