It was a night to honor the legacy and memory of the man they called the conscience of Congress, the late John Lewis.
The 2nd annual celebration also gave people the chance to acknowledge African Americans that promoted a social change in the county, much like Lewis did as a civil rights activist. The keynote speaker was Elida graduate and Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Chelsea Clark. Clark says she is running for the office because she sees the same type of voting obstacles now, that Lewis fought for when they passed the voting rights act in 1965. She says it is time to have a Secretary of State who will protect everyone's right to vote, and also fight for fair redistricting maps that reflect the voting preferences of Ohio.
"The Secretary of State’s job as chief election is to make sure that they defend and protect and educate when it comes to voting,” says Clark. “In (20)15 and (20)18, Ohioan overwhelming said, in over 70%, we want redistricting reform and we want fair and competitive districts. That is not what the maps are showing us and that is not a map that mirrors the voting patterns that Ohioans wanted and that is all across the state, that’s Republicans and Democrats. At the end of the day, partisan politics has played more of a role than the will of the Ohio people and that seat is a red, white, and blue one and I am happy to defend it with our urban and our rural neighbors."
Doctor Nannette Smith and Jackie Robinson were also recognized with the "Good Trouble" award.
