WS Chronicle

North Carolina NAACP President Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II recently received two awards acknowledging his work to help re-build the freedom movement in the South.

Barber received “The Grio.com’s 100 Making History Today” honor, a national award for fighting for the rights of all people, here in North Carolina and across the nation.

The ACLU of North Carolina also recognized Rev. Barber’s work for coalition building in North Carolina through the Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) People’s Assembly Coalition, which now includes 145-plus coalition partners. The HKonJ Coalition was heavily involved in the fight against Amendment One, a measure that was passed by state voters last year that outlaws same-sex marriages via the state constitution.

“These awards are not a testament to me but to the great work of our justice team, the NAACP family and our coalition partners to fight racism, poverty, inequality and injustice,” said Barber, who is also the pastor of the 120-year-old Greenleaf Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro. “I accepted these awards on our behalf.  If I have been a small part of helping move the Movement forward, then praise God. My personal motto is “WE is the most important word in the justice vocabulary.” The issue is not what we can’t do but what we CAN do when we work together, pray together, stand together and fight for justice together.”