Preparations for Friday’s 49th annual Greenwood Voters League banquet are being finalized in the hopes of a big turnout.
“It’s kind of unique that an organization has lasted as long as the Voters League has. Many of the other groups that started out with us are no longer around,” said David Jordan, president of the league.
The banquet begins at 7 p.m. at the Leflore County Civic Center.
Tickets for the banquet are $15 each.
Jordan said a limited number of tickets will be available at the door the night of the banquet. He expects about 350 to attend the event.
Tickets may be purchased in advance by contacting Jordan or Robert Sims, the league’s vice -president.
Dr. Beverly Wade Hogan, president of Tougaloo College will be the keynote speaker.
The Voters League has served as a catalyst for change in Greenwood, Leflore County and the Delta through the years, Jordan said.
“We keep pushing issues that are important for the people. Over the past half century, it has worked for all of us,” he said.
The Voters League, Jordan said, seeks to advance the Delta as a whole, particularly in education, and to make it attractive to industries that might be lured by neighboring Southern states.
“What I’d like to see is people of all races working together — there’s enough here for all of us. We have a common ground,” he said.
Jordan, a longtime educator, said educational resources in the Delta need to be increased significantly.
“I think, if we work together, all of us can benefit,” he said.
Although row crops have their place in the Delta’s economy, other industries, such as heritage tourism and high-tech manufacturing, have the potential to transform the Delta into an “oasis,” Jordan said.
The banquet will posthumously honor two community leaders: The Rev. David Matthews and businessman Dr. V.K. Chawla.
Jordan said Matthews and Chawla represent the qualities of hard work and positive thinking, adding, “Nothing beats a made-up mind.”
Hogan, has served as the first woman president of Tougaloo since May 2002.
During her tenure at Tougaloo, the school has begun three new undergraduate degree programs and two new graduate degree programs.
Hogan earned her bachelor’s degree from Tougaloo, her master’s from Jackson State University and a doctorate at Fielding Graduate University.
Entertainment at the banquet will be provided by soloist Dorothy Johnson McChester of Jackson and formerly of Greenwood.
An inspirational reading will be done by Cassandra Perkins, a Amanda Elzy High School graduate.
The Voters League will present two scholarships as part of the banquet.
The first, the David L. Jordan Scholarship, will provide $500 for a student at Mississippi Valley State University.
The second scholarship, for $300, will be presented to a Tougaloo student.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
