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Hickory Branch NAACP President Reflects on 2009
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 4, 2010

As the Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman looked back at 2009, he says his first year as Hickory Branch NAACP President has been an eye opening experience, “Hickory, N.C. is not the most progressive city in the world nor the most just. Here I have witnessed the pervasive practice of genteel apartheid that prohibits change. Everybody finds 'their' place and stays in it. Many opportunities for pioneering civil rights exist here from the school
resegregation movement that seems to be gaining momentum to the disparities in health care. We will continue to fight for equal rights and justice
because it is our mission to do so.”

Hosting the 66th Annual NC NAACP State Convention in Hickory was an all consuming task for the first nine months of 2009. It is now behind him, and his reward is in the good reports that continue from those who participated.As the newly appointed NC NAACP Chair of Religious Affairs, he is eager to learn even more about the veteran civil rights organization that celebrated it's 100th anniversary this year.

Two personal experiences in 2009 broadened his perspective of the world, and his place in it as a person of color. In February, Dr. Spearman traveled to Mexico with the Carolina Interfaith Task Force on Central America (CITCA) and Witness for Peace Southeast because North Carolina has become a hotbed of anti-immigrant sentiment in recent years.

In Mexico City the team met with economists, human rights activists and others who focus on the impact of trade on Mexican farmers and others. The
team also met with the US Embassy staff, and traveled to Oaxaca meeting with educators, indigenous leaders and others to learn about why people are leaving their communities to come north.  They spent the night with a family in a rural area where people are migrating to North Carolina.

It was clear to him that serious structural problems exist in Mexico. In a country where the vast majority of people are plagued by wrenching poverty, largely forgotten by the imperialistic bureaucracies that motivate the best government that money can buy, these otherwise productive citizens are being forced to the margins. Serious threats to their civil liberties and human rights exist daily. Those threats are not all caused by drug trafficking as
the media would have us believe. Dr. Spearman summarized the experience saying “I came home with serious doubts about the authorities' commitment to training police and guaranteeing the rights of the people in what is considered the backyard of America. Ten Merida Initiatives without structural change has wasted our taxpayer's money.” He saw that those who have migrated to the USA would not choose to leave their home country if there were opportunities to provide for their families at home.  “People of color all over the world are our brothers and sisters, and we share their struggle for justice and equality,” he said.

For many years Dr. Spearman had longed to know more about his ancestry to see himself in the bigger picture in the history of people of color. He owes a deep debt of thanks to his cousin Madeline Clawson for her willingness to trace his lineage back to his great-great-great grandmother Pleasant Fennell, and encourage him to get DNA testing to go even further.  In December 2008, his DNA sequence determined that he shared ancestry with the Igbo people in Nigeria today. Rev. Spearman felt as if the Nigerian land and my great-great-great grandmother were summoning him home.

Through his connections in Rotary he contacted a fellow Rotarian in Nigeria for help in planning his trip, and to his surprise, Rotarian Lemmy Ijioma
was an Igbo man! His willingness to help Rev. Spearman was more than he could have hoped for. In May, he flew to Abuja, Nigeria and Lemmy helped him travel the 600 miles to Igbere to meet his Igbo ancestors. He saw much poverty and lack along the way, realizing how far we have to go to bring equality and a decent quality of life for all people in the world.

In Igbere, Dr. Spearman received a ritual cleansing in the stream where you could “see the sun” to receive him as a son coming back home. They passed through a trail leading downward into the valley. Described the life-changing experience this way, “ You could hear the sound of the rushing
waters, and as we worked our way down you could hear the sound of women washing clothes in the stream. An Igbo brother assisted me to the area where I would cleanse myself and swallow a little of the water. It was a very sacred moment.”

Afterward, he returned to Lemmy’s village home to change for the ceremony where he would receive the status of Chief. He met with His Royal Highness Eze Charles  Iheke and the village chiefs where many were stunned by his uncanny resemblance to someone called Chukwu. King Eze Charles Iheke then passed ceremonial Igbo wisdom to Dr. Spearman prior to conferring the chieftancy upon him. “Words are not adequate to describe what this honor means to me. I had been received home as a son and tribal chief, giving me closure in my ancestral journey”, he said.

These experiences give him a deeper commitment to the mission of the NAACP where they strive to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons, and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. His interests are broad, and his mind is open to all ideas relevant to this cause.

During the course of the year, Dr. Spearman developed a deep appreciation for Aesthetic Realism, the philosophy founded by Eli Siegel in 1941 which explains the cause and answer to racism. Aesthetic Realism views contempt as the cause of racism, “the addition to self through the lessening of something else”, and as the source of all unkindness between people, including economic injustice, and war. The criticism of contempt, including in oneself, and learning to see that the feelings of other people are as real and as deep as one’s own, are essential in ending racism.  The
philosophy proposes that the deepest desire of every person is to like the world on an accurate basis, and views the purpose of education is to help
students like the world by knowing it.

Through a friendship that began in 2006 with Ms. Alice Bernstein, author of Asthetic Realism and the Answer to Racism, Dr. Spearman was exposed to what he calls "a truth so simple that it's been missed by the world." In August he invited a team of educators from the Athestic Realism Foundation in New York to Hickory for the NAACP's Back to School/Stay in School Rally which featured the one act play, "The People of Clarendon County" by Ossie Davis, and demonstrations of how Asthetic Realism techniques can be used in the classroom. He was honored with an invitation to give the invocation at a similar program in Washington, DC in October held on Capitol Hill with featured guests including House majority whip James Clyburn.

Dr. Spearman  was deeply moved in May when he received the Human Relations Award from the City of Hickory Human Relations Council for his work in improving human relations in the Hickory area. “I share this award with all those who have labored with me with me in the struggle for justice and equality for all people. Every person on earth is a person of color, and beneath the color of our skin we are all the same” said Rev. Spearman.

2009 showed him a bigger picture of our world, and his prayer for 2010 is that we will continue to fight together for freedom and justice for all
people.

For more information, contact Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman at 828-322-1196 or tant98@aol.com. For more information about the Hickory Branch NAACP, go to www.hickorybranchnaacp.org

 

When The Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman Became "The Lion Who Lives Abroad" 
Submitted for the Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman
Written by the Rev. Susan Smith
 
For many years Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman had longed to know more about his ancestry to see himself in the bigger picture in the history of people of color. As pastor of Clinton Tabernacle AME Zion Church in Hickory, and President of the Hickory Branch NAACP, Dr. Spearman's trip to Africa in 2009 was important to many who serve with him because it was black history in the making.  
 
Dr. Spearman had traced his lineage back to his great-great-great grandmother Pleasant Fennell, and decided to get DNA testing to go even further back. His cousin Madeline Clawson helped him by agreeing to take the test. Through her, a clear line could be traced back to Grandma Pleasant, and in December 2008, his DNA sequence determined that he shared ancestry with the Igbo people in Nigeria today. Rev. Spearman sensed from that day that the Nigerian land and his great-great-great grandmother were summoning him home. 
 
Through his connections in Rotary he contacted a fellow Rotarian in Nigeria for help in planning his trip, and to his surprise, Rotarian Lemmy Ijioma was an Igbo man! His willingness to help Dr. Spearman was more than he could have hoped for. In May 2009, he flew to Abuja, Nigeria and Lemmy helped him travel the 600 miles to Igbere to meet his Igbo ancestors. Igbere is a surbuban town in the Bende Local Government Area of the Abia State in Nigeria. Spearman saw much poverty and lack along the way, realizing how far we have to go to bring equality and a decent quality of life for all people in the world. 
 
In Igbere, Dr. Spearman was greeted by the Igbo people who led him to a ritual cleansing in the Mbuba Amankalu Stream in order to be received back home as a son. They passed through a trail leading downward into the valley with two areas shielded from view where men and women bathed separately in,he stream. He heard the sounds of rushing waters and women washing clothes as he made his way into the stream. Dr. Spearman struggled to keep his footing on the slippery algae covered rocks under his feet as secretary of the Makurdi Rotary Club Christian Orya assisted him to the area where he would cleanse himself and swallow a little of the water. He described the moment, saying "It was a life changing experience; a very sacred moment for me as I was received home as an Igbo son." 
 
Afterward, he returned to Lemmy’s village home to change for a ceremony where he would meet with His Royal Highness Eze Charles Iheke and the village chiefs. Upon seeing Dr. Spearman, the people were amazed by his uncanny resemblance to someone called Chukwu. King Eze Charles Iheke began the ceremony by sharing the Igbo ancestral legacy and the reasons why they deemed him worthy of the high honor of Chief. The King explained that the residents of Igbere were indigenous people, and that the name of the city meant "the place where the Igbo would not be stolen" because historically its thick foliage provided natural fortresses to protect the people whenever colonists invaded the land. 
 
"His Royal Highness informed me of the responsibilities that came along with chieftancy, my rights to property as a citizen of the village, and further explained the importance of improving the quality of life in the village. I received the name Chief Iheke Awa. The name 'Awa' is the family name, and 'Iheke' literally means 'what will be will be' because despite all the obstacles that sought to abort my trip, not one of them prevailed." said Dr. Spearman. Once a chief, King Eze Charles Iheke then asked the Chairman of the Clan Council of Village Heads to announce Dr. Spearman's new title, Agu De Na Mba, or "The Lion Who Lives Abroad." 
 
“Words are not adequate to describe what this honor means to me. I had been received home as a son and tribal chief, giving me closure in my ancestral journey. I feel deeply the Igbo proverb 'Nti na-anughi anu ihe, mgbe a ga-egburu ishi e gburu nti', or 'The ear that won't hear, when the head is cut off, it goes'." 
said Dr. Spearman. 
 
For more information, contact Dr. Spearman at 828-322-1196 or tant98@aol.com. For more information about the Igbo people or Igbere, go to www.igbobasics.com or www.igbere.org 
 

 

Mother Of The Year Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hickory Branch NAACP
Contact: Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman 828-322-1196
April 25, 2009

KING CROWNED HICKORY BRANCH 2009 NAACP MOTHER OF THE YEAR


HICKORY – Kerri King was crowned Hickory Branch NAACP “Mother of the Year” during the 27th Annual Mother of the Year Coronation Banquet Saturday night at New Hope Baptist Church. King is a member of Morningstar First Baptist Church where the pastor is Rev. David Roberts.

Each year the non-profit civil rights organization sponsors a Mother of the Year campaign in the greater Hickory area to raise funds and recognize citizens for their contributions to the community. Mothers representing eight Hickory churches participated this year.

The evening was emceed by Mrs. Janice Spearman with a musical performance by soloist Toni Carlton and guest speaker District Judge Charlotte Brown-Williams.

The first runner-up was Alice M. Clark of Clinton Tabernacle AME Zion Church. The other contestants included Linda Shade of St. Paul AME Zion Church, Lorene Lawrence of Exodus Missionary Outreach Church, LaTrenda Sadler of Greater Faith Missionary Baptist Church, Ollie Rhinehardt of Mt. Pisgah AME Church, Doris Hunter of Hartzell United Methodist Church, and Diane Hogue of Friendship Baptist Church.

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. Contact the Hickory Branch NAACP at (828) 322-1196.
http://www.hickorybranchnaacp.org
Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:40:35 -0400