Pottstown Celebration Honors King and Debnam

Photos by Evan Brandt

Soloists in the Lincoln University Concert Choir perform Monday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Mount Olive Baptist Church Monday.

Former Police Chief Rick Drumheller, right, with
Bishop Everett Denam when he was named the
Pottstown Police Department chaplain in 2015.

Two men of God, who devoted themselves to helping others, were celebrated Monday night.

One -- the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- is famous the world over for his efforts.

Similarly, the efforts of the other -- Bishop Everett Debnam, pastor of Invictus Ministries -- are known all over Pottstown.

The celebration, organized by the Rev. Darrell C. Brown Jr., a Pottstown native and pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Paoli, involved numerous Pottstown congregations.

It honored Debnam, who is ill and could not be there in person.

However, technology allowed a virtual Debnam to be there as members of his family used their smart phones to live cast the event to his hospital bed and for him to see and hear those there to honor his years of service to Pottstown.

Pottstown Mayor Stephanie Henrick and Chief Mick Markovich
presented Evertt Debnam's family with a special citation.

Benjamin Bullock, an elder at Invictus who called Debnam "my teacher, my mentor, my friend, my pastor and my bishop," said "there are not enough books to contain how great this many really is."

Among the great things Debnam did, Bullock said, was to "march in the snow to Boyertown with the NAACP so Boyertown schools would be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day."

The Rev. Garrison Lockley, presents
some of the money raised Monday to
Everett Debnam's wife Robin.

"He has made Pottstown a better place to work and to live and we thank you," said Pottstown Mayor Stephanie Henrick, who was joined by a police honor guard, including Chief Michael Markovich, to present Debnam's family with a special citation.

A similar presentation was made by state Sen. Robert Mensch, R-24th Dist., who said Debnam "is someone who leads from the front."

The evening's collection raised $937 which was divided between Debnam's family, to help with his medical expenses, and the Molding Men and Leading Ladies mentoring program.

Four beneficiaries of that program, Trinity Rhodes-Fisher, Jesus and Heaven Charriez and Akira Love, were on hand as well Monday night.

With a small dose of nervousness, all four spoke.

Jesus Charriez said the purpose of the group is "to maximize opportunity and to minimize mistakes."

Akira Love, right, address the crowd Monday night.

Love said as important as it is to stand up for yourself, it is also important to have control over "how you react to things. There is always room to improve."

Quoting Dr. King, Love said "we must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools."

Heaven Charriez said the group works "to be the best version of ourselves as we keep pushing for a better community."

While that may not have been a

quote from King, it was certainly in keeping with his ethos of pushing, without violence, for justice

The Rev. Dr. William H. Ball, Mount Olive's pastor.

and equality.

That ethos was one of the things that inspired last night's celebration.

"A group of Pottstown clergy took seriously the words of Dr. King, that darkness cannot drive away darkness, that hate cannot drive away hate," said the Rev. Terrance Paul, pastor of Fresh Start Ministries.

"We are called by Dr. King's legacy to continue to work together to promote civil rights and equal justice," said the Rev. Dr. William H. Ball III, pastor at Mount Olive.

Apostle Joyce Wilkerson prays during Monday's celebration.

Quoting King, Ball said "'human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.'"

King, said Joyce Wilkerson during a prayer, "was a great man who paid the price. We thank you lord for his courage. We thank you for his bravery."

Debnam, like King, was closely associated with the NAACP and Debnam is currently the vice president of the Pottstown chapter.

Pottstown NAACP Chapter President Jon Corson.

The chapter's president, Johnny Corson, presided over a special presentation to Debnam's family and spoke about King's legacy.

"There is no other day that brings so many people together of different backgrounds," Corson said.

Noting that "over 100 nations celebrate his birth," Corson said the holiday that marks that Jan. 20, 1929 "is not a black holiday. This is a people's holiday."

Also honoring both men was U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th dist., who said "as a little girl, I remember the day Dr. King was assassinated. I remember the mourning that overcame my house."

There was a lot of energy in the capacity crowd Monday night.

She said "there is not a love lost in Washington D.C. these days. Many of our conversations are not conversations at all. They are exercises in demonizing and making someone 'the other.' It is unbecoming of us," Dean said.

When in the capitol and feeling despair creeping in, she said she is often comforted by Maryland Democrat John Lewis, himself a civil rights icon "who marched with Dr. King. He says to me 'don't get discouraged Madeleine. Keep your eye on the prize."

Despite the fact King is his favorite historical figure, the Rev. Justin Valentine, pastor of Kingdom Life Church, said he struggled with deciding what to say about King when writing his keynote address.

The Rev. Justin Valentine said one of King's most important
legacies is his connection to the African-American church.

King is "perfectly complex," said Valentine. All too often, his legacy is simplified to his famous speech during the march on Washington.

"He was not celebrated in 1968," when he was killed while organizing sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn.

One of the most prominent leaders to speak out against the Vietnam War, earlier than most, "it's amazing to think that the FBI consider Dr. King, who had never fired a shot, never responded to violence, and had been in jail 20 times, 'the most dangerous man in America," said Valentine.

Valentine urges all in the church to join hands and pray for peace.

In the end, said Valentine during a energetic sermon, he decided to focus on the thing that first gave King voice and always supported him -- "the church."

The African-American church, he said, "is born of pain and is the crucible of change."

He urged people trying to be politically correct to "stop saying you don't see color. We're all some shade of chocolate here tonight. Why can't you look at me and see me for who I am?"