Unity: Human Relations Banquet celebrates what we all have in common

The annual Human Relations Banquet held this week at the Goldsboro Event Center recognized people and organizations that have gone the extra mile to foster unity in our community. It is a testament to the people of Goldsboro and Wayne County who daily seek to overcome their differences in order to make this a better place in which to live and work.

A number of people and groups were honored, none more so than Shirley Edwards, who received the Individual Award. Edwards, chairwoman of the Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency, or WAGES, was recognized for her work in promoting unity.

We believe her award to be well deserved. As were the awards given to the civic organization and the business that best exemplified the ideals promoted by organizers of the banquet, who represent the public. The HGDC Community Crisis Center and the InJoy thrift store also deserved the recognition they received.

At the heart of the event is the notion that if you put others first the community will benefit as a whole. We need more of that kind of thinking. The city and county can grow economically, but if its residents do not learn to overcome our differences and grow together as a community, then our overall quality of life will not improve.

Published in Editorials on March 2, 2017 10:02 AM