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The Troup County NAACP hosted a prayer breakfast fundraiser on Monday morning dedicated to MLK Day, celebrating the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy.

Several community members from different areas of Troup County gathered together, promoting unity and endearment. The breakfast featured devotions, prayers, and speakers, aligning with the NAACP’s theme of the year, “Trust In God.”

“I’m ecstatic, I’m very well pleased,” President of Troup County NAACP Inetha Hatten said. “It’s the first time that I’ve done an event like this as president. It feels good to do this because I think that LaGrange needs an event of coming together, and the best way to accomplish this is to get out and feel the community.”

The key speaker of the event, LaGrange Mayor Edmonson, addressed attendees, discussing his thoughts on how far Troup County and America as a whole have grown in past decades. Giving recollections of his life as a young Black man in a segregated America, Edmondson shared his personal experience of overcoming racial prejudice along with how the NAACP helped to shape him into the man he is today.

“I’m so thankful that integration came about because I do remember going in color waiting rooms. I do remember having to sit in certain seats. I do remember as a child having to go to the dentist’s office and sitting in a certain waiting room,” Edmondson said.

“Because of my strong background with the NAACP and in treating people equally and requiring that everyone treat me equally, I made sure that I was the one that would talk and stand up for others who cannot stand up for themselves.”

Edmondson went on to acknowledge the historical figures who helped to create a better world for everyone around them, paying homage to many civil rights activists.

“I’m standing on the shoulders of Martin Luther King, I’m standing on the shoulders of so many civil rights workers, I’m standing on the shoulders of Donald Gilbert. I’m standing on the shoulders of Frank Hall. I’m standing on the shoulders of Dr. Glenn Dowell. So many people gave up themselves so that they could make this organization — make this county what it is today.

Edmondson went on to further discuss the importance of continuing the work of activists who fought for future generations, emphasizing the future projects he plans to conduct in the city.

“Don’t get so caught up and think that you have arrived — there is still work to be done,” Edmondson said. “I am meeting with all the city’s nonprofit organizations this month, and together we are going to discuss how we can help the homeless, how we can help those who need to be fed, and how we can help those who need rental assistance.”

In the upcoming spring and fall seasons, Hatten hopes to work with the NAACP to create more community events and encourage more community members to join the organization. 

“I will continue to hold events like this and I hope they expand,” Hatten said. “I want to give out more awards. I want to see people come together. I want this to be a community for all people.”