Community remembers King with Gospel program at VGCC

Vance-GranvilleCommunity College’s Civic Center was packed with area residents and a diverse group of choirs on Jan. 11, when it hosted a lively celebration in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Several singing groups performed, including the Crystal River Church of God Praise Team, First Baptist Church of Oxford, the Shady Grove Community Choir, Spring Street Baptist Church, and the Greater Voices of Kittrell Job Corps. Warren County radio personality Ann Alston served as mistress of ceremonies. The event was open to college students, faculty and staff, as well as to the general public, free of charge.

In closing remarks, VGCC President Randy Parker thanked the college’s Global Awareness committee for organizing the event, along with the college’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program staff. He noted that hosting such social and cultural events is part of the community college’s mission. Parker also invited the audience to return to VGCC in February for several events that will mark Black History Month.

Special guest Delano Rackard of Raleigh, a favorite from several previous Gospel Fest programs, returned to VGCC to read excerpts from two of Dr. King’s famous speeches, including one delivered on June 6, 1961, at Lincoln University, along with the “I Have a Dream” speech, which King delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963. Rackard is well-known to area audiences for his uncanny ability to replicate Dr. King’s voice and style.

The event concluded as the audience joined hands and sang the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome,” as Vincent Gilreath accompanied on piano.

Above: Louisburg’s Shady Grove Community Choir was one of several groups that performed at the Martin Luther King Gospel Fest