In Observance of Black History Month
shirleyNANNEY
Editor
In observance and celebration of February’s Black History Month, a program was held recently at Webb School in McKenzie with Lakeshia Yarbrough, DNP, APRN, FNP-C as the keynote speaker. She is employed at Hometown Health Clinic in Huntingdon where she resides.
The theme for her address was “Steadfast and Unmovable” as she talked about what she considered the true meaning of those words.
“Black History Month is a celebration of perseverance, determination, resilience, and resistance,” she said. “It is a time to focus our attention on the historic contributions of African Americans to the United States. It’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come, where we are, and how much further we still have to go.”
She said when she thinks of steadfast and unmovable, the first thought that crosses her mind is Paul’s Epistle in Corinthians, where he addressed problems that were hindering the growth and the fruitfulness of the church. 1 Corinthians 15:58 in the ESV states: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Yarbrough said that according to Meriam Webster, steadfast means to be firmly fixed in place, not subject to change, firm in belief, and determined. It’s unfaltering, unwavering, persistent, committed, and dedicated. Unmovable is not able to be moved, it’s unaffected, untouched, unyielding, unbothered, static, fixed, rooted, and incapable of being diverted. Opposition is inevitable, and we’re going to run into circumstances that don’t necessarily turn out the way we plan or envision.
In talking about these words, she said steadfast and unmovable mean to black people possessing unwavering integrity, dependability, and trustworthiness and doing what you say you’re going to do in the spirit of excellence.
“It’s standing firm on truth and defending the truth without shaking or compromising your own faith or your “blackness”, by assimilating with and embracing other cultures rather than your own,” she said. “It’s demanding justice and standing with and advocating for those that are underserved or oppressed and promoting unity. It’s leading with love with the understanding that you will be victorious in whatever God purposed for you to do. “It’s NEVER GIVING UP.”
She highlighted some of the people she considered “steadfast and unmovable.”
She mentioned African American leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Rosa Parks, who refused and resisted to give up her seat to a white passenger; Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer who was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court; Condoleezza Rice, who became the first woman and first African American to serve as provost of Stanford University and serve as U.S. Secretary of State; and President Barack Obama, former U.S. senator, who served as the 44th and first black president of the United States; and Kamala Harris, the country’s first Black-Asian American and female vice president.
She encouraged each one present to appreciate and embrace whatever level you’re at and regardless of what it looks like and how you feel; be strong, be courageous, persevere and never give up.
In closing, she said, “I want to leave you all with a final thought. When we don’t have an attitude to persevere, we are useless.”
She reminded the audience that: “We can overcome opposition, and together, we can accomplish anything as long as we remain steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord.”
