WS Chronicle

The scholarship committee of the Winston-Salem Chapter NAACP recently awarded five $1,000 scholarships to five selected students of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System. Among all recipients, the student who achieved the highest scholastic standing and provided outstanding service to their community over time received the Reverend Carlton A. Eversley award. In lieu of creating an additional scholarship fund, this year the committee thought that it would be meaningful to dedicate an award to the student who achieved the highest academic standing in honor of the late Rev. Carlton Eversley, who passed away unexpectedly in September 2019. Eversley was a life-long member of the NAACP, serving vitally in the community as a civil rights activist. Additionally, he served as chair of the NAACP education committee for many years 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.

Each year, the Winston-Salem Chapter NAACP hosts a Freedom Fund Banquet to garner support to contribute to scholarship awards. This year due to the pandemic of COVID-19, the Freedom Fund Banquet was canceled. Nevertheless, Dan Piggott, Freedom Fund Gala chair, along with other members of the fundraising committee, still sought out to send letters to members of the community, local churches, and businesses to garner support and raise the funds. 

The 2019-2020 scholarship recipient awards were presented to Tronnie McDaniels, Walkertown High School; Ashton Melton, Atkins High School; Abigail Herrera-Leal, Glenn High School; Alexis Brooks, Mount Tabor High School; and Najashi Belcher, Walkertown High School. Najashi Belcher, who obtained an unweighted GPA of 3.9, and was honored as valedictorian for Walkertown High School Class of 2020, received the Reverend Carlton A. Eversley Award. He will attend the University of San Francisco in the fall semester to major in Business Administration. 

The Winston-Salem Chapter NAACP prides itself in ensuring political, educational, social and economic equality for minority citizens of the United States. If you would like to make a donation to the Winston-Salem Chapter NAACP or to its scholarship fund to continue to help with the economic mobility of the youth and citizens of Forsyth County, please contact the office at 336-767-3470 or visit http://naacpws.org/.