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Rev. William Barber II Moral Monday Leader And NAACP President Will Speak At Schaefer Center Oct. 28

Oct. 23, 2013. Moral Monday Leader and NAACP N.C. chapter President Rev. William Barber will come to Appalachian State to address “The Necessity of a Moral Movement in North Carolina and the Nation” on Monday, Oct. 28.  

Barber, who has been the president of the NAACP since 2005, will begin the lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Schaefer Center for Performing Arts. The event is free and the public is invited.

The event was organized in late August by Forward Together Watauga County.  The group formed as a local hub for the Moral Monday protests over the summer.

“We organized one up here, because there were so many who could not go to Raleigh,” Marge McKinney, local coordinator for Forward Together Watauga County, said.  “We felt it was important to do something locally.”

After one Appalachian State professor attended the Moral Monday Protests in Raleigh it was the unanimous opinion of Forward Together Watauga County to expose someone like Barber to ASU students.

McKinney met Barber after the Board of Elections meeting in Raleigh in August. 

“I think he’s just a really easy person to talk to. He’s a very warm, compassionate and passionate person,” McKinney said. “He’s very concerned about the people who typically do not have a voice.”

“He’s quite the presence,” McKinney added. 

Barber has been a state leader in the fight for voter rights, health care reform, labor and worker rights, and serves as a defender of the poor. 

Rev. Dr. Barber is the author of a book entitled, “Preaching Through Unexpected Pain”, and several articles and is currently working on his second book. He has been featured on Wall Street, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Crisis Magazine and has spoken, preached and lectured around the country.

Barber graduated from North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, N.C., he received a degree in political science; a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University; and a Doctoral degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, with a concentration in Public Policy and Pastoral Care.

For more information, contact Marjorie McKinney at mckinnymj@yahoo.com.

Some of Rev. Dr. William Barber’s other accolades and accomplishments according to his biography on the NAACP website:

 The N.C. NAACP is the largest state conference in the south and second largest in nation.

  • Rev. Dr. Barber is standing with Georgia’s NAACP State President to secure the release of Mr. John McNeil.  A man, husband and father who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentence to life in prison. 
  • Rev. Dr. Barber has help lead the North Carolina NAACP in filing Title VI filing against the Wayne and Wake County School Broads in the fight against re-segregation and inequality. 
  • Rev. Dr. Barber fought and helped to secure over millions of new dollars for low wealth and disadvantaged students.
  • Rev. Dr. Barber has helped lead Historic Thousands On Jones Street: Peoples Assembly a coalition of over 104 progressive organizations with over 2 million memberships to champion a 14 point anti-racism, anti-poverty, anti-war agenda.
  • Rev. Dr. Barber has helped secure the freedom of innocent African American men from Death Row and the passage of the Racial Justice Act.
  • Rev. Dr. Barber helped win Same Day Registration Early Voting in NC- the only state in the south. 
  • Rev. Dr. Barber organized the Millions Voter March 2009 and helped more than 1.2 million black/brown voters go to polls.
  • For over 19 years, he has been God’s servant as Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church DOC (1993), Goldsboro, NC.  The man of God has allowed God to use him as a vessel in saving souls, transforming lives and allowed him to birth or strengthen ministries to bring glory to God.

See video below of Barber’s official response to an online database of Moral Monday arrestees that included mug shots, personal information and a game called “Pick the Protestor” posted by the Civitas Institute in an effort to discredit the Forward Together Movement and intimidate future activists.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIl-rCr3lyQ[/youtube]