Editor, The Commercial:
I attended the Pine Bluff Branch NAACP’s Emancipation Proclamation Program on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. “If you want to be part of the solution, you have to be willing to get in the fight.” — Pastor Darren Edgerson.
As a life-paying member of the Pine Bluff Branch NAACP, I agree with the Emancipation Proclamation keynote speaker we must get into “the fight.” The fight shouldn’t be Democrat or Republican, Black or White, but the fight must be for what’s right.
It does not always have to be about voting rights, education, etc., but the fight against the dehumanization of certain classes of people is a noble cause. This is a fight Black people have addressed over the years, e.g. pictures on products Aunt Jemima Corn Meal and Syrup, and Uncle Ben’s Rice among other labels and pictures were insensitive to Black people — a fight that we know in Pine Bluff, around the state, and as far as the radio signal travels, they have heard Blacks being portrayed as caricatures in the city. This is broadcast live over the airwaves almost daily in Pine Bluff where Black people are said to be stupid, fools, and ignorant. The keynote speaker Pastor Edgerson encouraged us about the needs in the community and said, “Brothers and Sisters we need somebody who’s willing to get in the fight.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The denigration has continued for over 25 years without anyone stepping up to get in the fight for Black humanity. The Pine Bluff Branch NAACP should actively engage its membership and other fair-minded citizens to get in the fight to ensure everyone is respected and treated with dignity. The oldest Civil Rights organization where I am a life-paying NAACP member, should do the right thing and get in this fight. It is what the NAACP has fought for 116 years, to bring respect and fair treatment to all people.
Over 24 years the unjust and unprovoked attacks on the Black community in Pine Bluff have persisted, without the Pine Bluff Branch NAACP getting in the fight to call for equal treatment.
The question for 2025 is whether the Pine Bluff Branch NAACP will stay out of this fight or engage in it and meet with the management rather than an employee, to discuss respecting the Black community. Many in Montgomery, Ala., were aware that all the Blacks were treated unjustly, including being required to ride in the back of the bus. They were unwilling to fight for their constitutional rights until Rosa Parks took a stand and kept her seat. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came from behind the pulpit to get in the fight. Ultimately, it is the management that is responsible for what’s aired on a radio station. I believe changes can be made, but change takes the courage of those willing to get in the fight.
Rev. Jesse C. Turner, MS, CED
Executive Director, Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration, Inc.