The Unity Reception is the brainchild of Semone Pemberton, a local community activist and currently a senatorial candidate for North Carolina District 19.
According to her, bi-partisan community events play a crucial role in developing healthy communities while providing an effective platform for local community leaders and potential community leaders to meet and listen to the citizens while enhancing relationships essential for transparency, trust, and support. Pemberton's motivation for the event is rooted in her belief in the power of unity.
We agree and applaud Pemberton's initiative as the near-perfect example of how proactive community involvement and events of this type can have the potential to galvanize relationships between all citizens, civic leaders, and elected officials regardless of race, religion, gender identification, or political affiliation.
Pemberton's Unity Reception will host special guest Clarence Henderson, a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, who brings a legacy of fighting for transparency, justice, and equality, topics that resonate deeply with all Americans.
Now in his 70s, Henderson leads the Frederick Douglass Foundation of NC with relentless and unwavering resolve. The Frederick Douglass Foundation's mission is to make a difference in the world by empowering individuals. They believe that every person has the potential to create positive change.
Following the tenets of Frederick Douglass, Henderson and the Foundation work to expand individual freedoms, promote education and self-sufficiency, and build strong families.
Henderson is an electrifying speaker, captivating audiences with riveting tales from the Civil Rights movement with a message intended to ignite their ambition with a bold call for entrepreneurship and business opportunities, which he believes are the ultimate game-changers.
The Unity Reception will also feature NC Senator Dave Craven, the youngest serving State Senator in North Carolina and Vice President of Business Development at The Fidelity Bank. Also speaking is lawyer Senator Amy Galey from Alamance County.
The Unity Reception is a ticketed event open to the public, allowing involved Fayetteville and Cumberland County community residents to listen to these dynamic speakers' unifying messages over heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages.
It will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Kress Building, 229 Hay Street in Downtown Historic Fayetteville. To purchase tickets or to get more information, contact heather@fayforward.com or call 910-745-0501.
Closing note: Regardless of race, religion, gender identification, or political affiliation, this event is about "unity." With unity, nothing else matters! Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

(Top Photo: Clarence Henderson, far right, was part of the Greensboro sit-in, a civil rights protest in the 1960s that helped push the conversation regarding segregation in the United States. Henderson will be speaking at the Unity Reception, Aug. 27. Bottom Photo: Henderson gives a talk during an event. Photos courtesy of public domain)