By Olga Hill
Thursday, Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony was celebrated at the 2017-2018 installation ceremony as he was re-installed as the president of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP. The ceremony, held at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, marked Rev. Dr. Anthony’s 13th installment and 24th year as president of the Detroit NAACP, the largest chapter in the country.
Mayor Mike Duggan issued the oath of office for Rev. Dr. Anthony’s 13th term and spoke about Rev. Anthony’s passion for Detroit and for fighting for equality for all people.
“What a special night… I was so touched when Rev. Anthony called me and asked if I would have the honor of doing the swearing-in. It’s not just a ceremony. This is history tonight.” Duggan said of Anthony’s commitment to the NAACP and the community.
“When our citizens in Detroit do vote, it is your team that’s in place to make sure their not intimidated or discouraged or prevented from exercising their rights and that fight is not over yet… All of these accomplishments have meant so much to our community and all Detroiters. Rev. Anthony, you have always been there for Detroiters, especially in the times we’ve needed you the most.”
Rev. Dr. Anthony, a native of St. Louis, MO, holds a B.A. in political science from Wayne State University, A.M.A. in pastoral ministry from Marygrove College and is a certified social worker for the State of Michigan. For the past 30 years, Anthony has served as Senior Pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit.
While the mood of Thursday’s ceremony was celebratory, the current political climate was a major topic of discussion for all including Rev. Dr. Anthony. Freedom, a right guaranteed to all, he said is the goal of the NAACP and of those protesting the markedly bias executive orders recently signed by President Donald J. Trump.
“I appreciate all that has been said and all that has been articulated. I want to thank the Mayor Mike Duggan for his presence and for being here and being a part of swearing us in and for his work. This is an important moment in history… The hopes and fears of are now heightened by the rise of what we have very often only witnessed in other nations rather than our own,” said Rev. Dr. Anthony.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made it very plain when he said years ago these words, “A piece of freedom is no longer enough for human beings…unlike bread, a slice of liberty does not finish hunger. Freedom is like life. It cannot be had in installments. Freedom is indivisible–we have it all, or we are not free.” We cannot depend on who occupies the White House every four or eight years for us to get another slice or another or another installment of the substance of freedom.”
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony maintains that the NAACP along with activists all over the world will continue to fight against any attempts or violations of constitutional rights ordered by the Trump administration.
“The NAACP did not come into existence in 1909 for a piece of freedom. We want it all. We want it now and we are not going to quit until victory is won and freedom is secured.”
Please watch part one and part two of the full ceremony below:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgCTkoWq-YU&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8DnRHoh07A&w=560&h=315]
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