Sylvia Brown, NAACP 6012-B President began the festivities with a mention of February 12th’s importance in the history of the organization. “It is our Founder’s Day, 116 years of being on the battlefield, fighting for marginalized communities, but certainly trying to center the voices, the humanity of black Americans. When black America survives and thrives, the rest of America comes forward as well, and it's important to raise and it's important to recognize that the NAACP was founded by men, by women, by black folks, by white people, by Jews, by Christians,” she said.
After leading the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the black national anthem with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson and music by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, Brown introduced Hempstead County Judge Jerry Crane who thanked funeral home director Ben Brazzel for purchasing and producing the framed portraits.
“I believe we're on the right path for helping this community to be better and grow,” Crane said. “And we have a lot of people that come in here, from out of town, and they want to walk around, look and see what our history is. So for me, I am very pleased that we have added this here.” He added that the pictures of past county judges that had been there were moved to the courthouse’s third floor.
After the meeting he also credited Gloria Hicks, the Hicks Funeral Home staff, volunteer Terry Beebe and Justice of the Peace Jessie Henry for helping with the project. Crane said more pictures will be added later.
The portraits depict E.D. Douglas, LaDell Douglas, Roland Hicks, Cynthia Murphy, Gayle William Rutherford, Cayce Smith and Floyd Young. Douglas, a pediatrician practicing in Hope, and Floyd Young, first black mayor of Hope, serving from 1983 to 1986, were both present to contribute a few remarks.
Douglas said he felt blessed to have returned to Hope 31 years ago and to have been embraced by the community and to “watch it grow and thrive.”
Young told about having been born “in the Proving Grounds” to one of the last families to move from their property north of Hope when the military purchased the land. He said that his father, a sawmill worker, held the belief that you were not a man unless you worked in a sawmill, so young Floyd eventually did so but the July sun beating down helped persuade him toward seeking a different profession.
Young told of accepting an offer to study math at Texas Southern and at one point finding himself in the computer room. A big room containing a single computer. “That computer was in the largest room and made a lot of noise, but it was a computer, and they were working on the space craft called Gemini II,” Young said.
He also recalled the efforts to increase Hope’s water supply beyond the two wells it depended on. Campbell’s Soup turned down the chance to build a factory in the area because of this lack. He also recalled the portion of town north of the railroad tracks being all dirt roads except for Hazel Street. A certain number of signatures from residents were gathered and their streets would be paved with grant funding.
“So we got Hickory Street paved. We got Taft Street, which is now Spruce Street,” Young said.
Meat pies, grape Kool-Aid and cupcakes were served with icing in the blue and yellow colors of the NAACP brand as first NAACP Chapter. The considerable crowd who attended posed in front of the portraits for a group picture with Douglas and Young in front
