BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD, Insider Editor
The League of Women Voters of Moore County (LWVMC) rebooted its annual fundraiser “Lunch with Legends” in March for the 14th year.
In 2020, this event was the last many people attended before COVID-19 restrictions began. That year, the League celebrated the 100th anniversary of its national founding and the passage of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote.
League members and supporters were welcomed to a new venue, the Pinehurst Country Club Outlook Ballroom on March 15. Attendees toasted one another and the happy return of the “Lunch with Legends” with complimentary mimosas, a cocktail selected because it represents the mimosa flower, the symbol of International Women’s Day.
The buffet lunch allowed folks to enjoy socializing following the extended pandemic absence. A large portion of participants were Seven Lakes residents who expressed delight in seeing one another.
Sunflowers dotted the room, their bright faces harkening back to the optimism of early activists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who first used them in their campaign to win women the right to vote.
As attendees gathered, Wilma Laney and Mary Rocca prepared to bring two legends to life whose contributions profoundly impacted women’s history: Hallie Quinn Brown and Shirley Chisholm. Script writer Mary Lou Bernett introduced the legends portion of the program, acknowledging LWVMC’s desire to be intentional about recognizing women of color, who have often been overlooked for their influence on women’s rights and suffrage.
Hallie Quinn Brown (1849-1949) was portrayed by Laney, who currently serves on the Aberdeen Town Board of Commissioners. Brown was a renowned public speaker capable of moving crowds to laughter and tears. Brown became an educator, serving with the spirit of a missionary, raising the literacy of Black citizens and migrant populations. Her popular lectures frequently focused on granting full citizenship to women and guaranteeing civil rights for African Americans. She even spoke before the Queen of England in 1889 as a representative of the United States at the International Congress of Women. Brown herself saw the importance of lifting up other legends, publishing Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction (1926) with the hope that all youth would read it and be inspired by the characters in it.
Mary Rocca sported a smart, 1970’s style blazer to portray Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Chisholm, a Brooklyn native, was skilled in college debate and encouraged by professors to pursue a career in politics. With the campaign slogan “Unbought and Unbossed,” she became the first African American woman in Congress in 1968 and the first African American Woman to run for President from a major party in 1972. After retiring from Congress in 1983, she taught at Mount Holyoke College and was a founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus.
The local League of Women Voters honors the past even as it nurtures current and future leaders at the beginning of the organization’s second century. Becky Graham, chair of the group’s scholarship committee, introduced four recipients of the League’s one $1000 and three $500 Civic Scholarships: Adrian Archer (Pinecrest), Emma Mack (North Moore), Layla Williams (North Moore) and Nathan Auman (Union Pines). These scholarships recognize Moore County students who have demonstrated leadership and civic responsibility. The League has awarded over $18,000 to 21 students through the years.
Lunch with Legends is the primary fundraiser for the LWVMC chapter, one of 18 North Carolina chapters. More than a social event, its purpose is to learn about the outstanding women of the past and to commit to ongoing, bipartisan work in voter education and equal rights.
“The League of Women Voters, Moore County is educating the community on women activists that helped achieve some of their equal rights, something we continue to work on with the Equal Rights Amendment,” said Jo Nicholas, president of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and Seven Lakes West resident. “The Lunch with Legends program has not gotten boring — it’s something different each time. Even the place that we had at this time was different.
“It was really good in my opinion, because you got to sit and chat first and then you came and sat in the audience. It really worked out nice.”
Funds from this annual event support all the activities of the Moore County League, such as providing candidate forums and nonpartisan voter information, to helping people register to vote, to partnering with high school debate teams. The big initiative of the League is Vote 411 (www.vote411.org), which acts as a one-stop voting assistance service by providing candidate information and helping voters check their voter registration.
Special guests in attendance this year included Towanna Dixon, director of the Moore County Board of Elections; Carol Haney, mayor of Southern Pines; Jo Nicholas, president of the NC League of Women Voters and past-president of the Moore County Chapter; and representatives from the NAACP. Current co-presidents Marcey Kazman and Shirlee Sanderson offered the welcome and closing remarks.
More information about the League of Women Voters can be found at my.lwv.org/north-carolina-state.
Contact Maggie Beamguard maggie@thepilot.com.
