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The African American Legacy Project Honors Local Legends

By Asia Nail

Sojourner’s Truth Reporter

 

The African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio honored six local Legends during their annual Leadership event Friday May 17 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg.  Master and Mistress of ceremonies, Bill Harris (Retired, NBC news) and Kristian Brown of the 13abc news team, welcomed us all to A Legacy of Leadership and a celebration of the human spirit.

 

Rev. Charles E. Jones, head pastor of Christian Temple Baptist Church, gave the invocation and drew attendees toward the divine authority of God through prayer, petitioning God’s guidance, protection, and presence over the reception.

 

Musical improvisation roused the atmosphere.  Solo violinist, Obed Shelton, delighted with his vibrant interpretation of "Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 

 

Written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday,  Lift Every Voice and Sing has become an anthem for African Americans in the struggle for equality. This powerful song continues to influence and shape new generations today just as it did when Jim Crow was replacing slavery and African-Americans were searching for an identity.

 

May 17 was the perfect date to commemorate leadership within black communities, marking the 65 year anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education’s landmark Supreme Court case that ruled school segregation unconstitutional.

 

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz gave remarks thanking Robert Smith, the founding president of the African American Legacy Project, for his, “unwavering dedication to preserving the history of AA while encouraging the community to appreciate a very important culture.”

 

The Legacy of Leadership event welcomed residents, as well as political and faith-based leaders alike to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2019 honorees.  Each Legend received a plaque commemorating their service to the community and were given an honorary personalized kente to be placed upon their shoulders as demonstration of the love and respect of the entire community.

 

The evening air was filled with waves of varying live music. The alluring sounds of (vocalists) Stacy Brown and Theresa Harris, Wayne Harris (bass guitarist), Scotty Burns (drummer), Mike Day (guitarist), Fred Sights (pianist), and the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Boys Choral richly textured the room with the honorees favorite musical selections.

 

This year’s honorees include Bishop Robert A. Culp; Robert Z. Kaplan; LaRouth Perry, PhD; and Robert Perry, PhD. Edrene Benson Cole and Wayman D. Palmer received posthumous honors.

 

      Bishop Robert A. Culp, born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, is the Senior Pastor of First Church of God in Toledo Ohio.  Under his leadership, his church has thrived and reached the community through several ministries including the FACTS and FORWARD program for substance abuse and the Four Corners Project serving youth and children.  Fondly referred to as ‘Toledo’s Bishop,’ Culp served as Past President of the NAACP Toledo Chapter.

 

Bishop Culp’s award was presented by State Representative, Stephanie Howse (District 11)

A vibrant Howse brought greetings from the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. The OLBC is the oldest legislative black caucus in the nation, whose members, have been fully committed to fighting for issues important to African Americans in Ohio over the past 50 years.

 

      Robert Z. Kaplan is a Toledo native who received both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from The Ohio State University.  Kaplan has been practicing law in downtown Toledo for 63 years focusing his efforts on criminal defense and civil rights while advocating for the black community.  Kaplan worked as legal counsel for the Toledo chapter of the Black Panther Party between the 1960’s-1970’s and received the Distinguished Toledo Lawyer Award from the University of Toledo Law Alumni Association.

 

      LaRouth Perry, or “Dr. P,” as her students affectionately called her, is a native of Little Rock Arkansas and a graduate of Fisk University.  While attending Fisk she sang soprano with the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers.  Her love for music was only superseded by her love of family and the English language.  A wife, mother and educator, Perry not only taught English Literature, she also taught the life changing powers art can have on one’s life.  LaRouth Perry was the founding director of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Young Artists at Work Program and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

 

 “Dr. LaRouth Perry authored the mission, vision and purpose statement for the African American Legacy Project.  Her words have served as guiding principles for the AALP.  Back in 2003 she saw the future need for this organization in the community and her words breathed life and direction into this organization,” recalled Robert Smith.

 

      For nearly 50 years Robert Perry used his scholarly writings and teachings to open the hearts and minds of both the young and young at heart. Robert Perry earned his bachelor's and master’s from Bowling Green State University.  He was appointed the Director of BGSU’s Ethnic Studies Program in 1970.  Perry’s trailblazing work led to his framing and developing the first original requirement on ethnic studies in the country. Along with his wife, LaRouth Perry, their household became NW Ohio’s AA cultural center, hosting such nobles in their home like American author and poet James Baldwin.  Retiring in 1996 Robert Perry accepted a position at Eastern Michigan to head the Dept of Ethnic Studies and later Director of the AA Center of Cultural Research. Perry is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.  Quietly he has served our community on numerous boards and if you ask, he will tell you his greatest achievement is his family. 

 

Angela Nelson, PhD. chairman of Department of Ethnic Studies, congratulated the Perry’s while saluting alumni and 2019 Legacy of Leadership Award Honorees on behalf of Bowling Green State University. She reminisced on her and LaRouth’s good times together as doctoral students and their shared advocacy for helping students of color get into college. Nelson also credits Robert Perry with giving her, her first job within the Ethnic Studies Department at BGSU.

 

      Edrene Benson Cole, originally from Marks Mississippi, moved to Toledo in the mid 1930’s.  Cole earned a Bachelor’s of Arts, Master’s in Education and Education Specialist degrees from the University of Toledo.  From 2004-2006, Cole compiled an oral history of African Americans in the Toledo area and produced their work on copyrighted CD’s and produced a booklet on the project earning her an appearance in several TV documentaries, including Eyes On The Prize.  She was recognized for her outstanding contribution of service to youth, education and the preservation of local history and was given an Honorary Doctorate of Education on behalf of the University of Toledo in 2006.

 

      Wayman D. Palmer was born in Paris, Tennessee.  Palmer was an educator for 16 years first in Columbia, South Carolina and later in the Toledo Public School system.  He was a servant leader who worked tirelessly on behalf of people. Palmer was an early entrepreneur.  Working alongside his father, Cecil H. Palmer, Wayman ran Palmer’s One-in-a-Million ice cream stand.  His strength was his integrity and he was also able to bring billions of dollars in new investments to the Toledo community  in the area of housing.  Both a YMCA location and a local housing unit have been named for him and stand as tribute to his life. 

 

The evening concluded with closing remarks from President Smith and an invitation to join Toledo’s upcoming 7th Annual National African American Male Wellness Walk and Run 5k on Saturday August 17, 2019. 

 

Since 2004, the African American Legacy Project (AALP) of Northwest Ohio, has been documenting and preserving the history of Northwest Ohio's African American community and its impact and influence far beyond Ohio's borders.   The AALP’s mission is, “to stimulate the intellectual, socio economic, and participatory growth in communities wherein African Americans reside.”

 

 

   


Copyright © 2019 by [The Sojourner's Truth]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 05/23/19 23:50:04 -0400.


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