WS Chronicle

Last week the Winston-Salem Chapter of the NAACP (WSNAACP) awarded $5,000 in scholarships to five different local students. Caden Davis, Reynolds High School, Breanna Chadwick, Parkland High School, Robert “BJ” Moore III, Atkins High School, Chloe Fletcher, Carver High School, and Lauren Valle, Atkins High School, each received $1,000 to help further their education. 

Valle, who will attend Duke University and major in biology this fall, also received the Reverend Dr. Carlton A. Eversley award for having the “highest scholastic standing” among all the scholarship recipients. Valle earned an unweighted GPA of 4.0. She is also active in the community and she participates in several extracurricular activities. 

The award honors the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Carlton, who passed away unexpectedly in 2019. Eversley was a longtime member of the NAACP and a well-respected civil rights activist. Additionally, he served as chair of the NAACP Education Committee for a very long time and was affiliated with the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity. Eversley also actively served as the pastor of Dellabrook Presbyterian Church for 35 years.

Every year the local chapter hosts a banquet as a fundraiser to garner support for the scholarships, but due to the pandemic, the Freedom Fund Banquet was cancelled, but members of the scholarship and fundraising committees refused to let the tradition die. Committee members sought assistance from the community, local churches, and businesses to garner support and raise the funds. 

“On behalf of the Executive Board of the NAACP, I want to thank everyone who helped support our young people,” said Al Jabbar, president of the WSNAACP, during the brief ceremony on Friday, July 30.

“And to our young people … may you have much success and if there’s anything that we as a chapter may be able to do to aid you in your next level of life, please call on us, because we’re here for the community.” 

For more information on the scholarships or the Winston-Salem Chapter of the NAACP, please contact the office at 336-767-3470 or visit www.naacpws.org.