Webb, Wiggins collect NCABCO awards

Fred Belfield, Margaret Lewis-Moore, Viola Harris, Valerie Foushee, Howard Hunter III, Lindy Brown and Virginia Tillett present the NCABCO President's Award to Wake County Board Chairman Harold Webb. (Photos by Jason King)

Two North Carolina county commissioners were among several people honored during the N.C. Association of Black County Officials' Annual Awards Luncheon, held Aug. 29 during the NCACC's Annual Conference in Catawba County.

Perquimans County Commissioner Shirley Wiggins received the Outstanding Leadership Award, while Wake County Chairman Harold Webb was honored with the President's Award. Other award winners included U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, who received the Frederick Douglas Award; Town of Windfall Mayor Fred Yates, who was presented the Humanitarian Award for his work as third vice president of the N.C. NAACP; and NCACC Risk Management Services Director Ed Wooters, who was honored with the Service Award.

NCABCO also presented two scholarships: South Brunswick High School graduate and Barton College freshman Adam Muhammad, and Bartlett Yancey High graduate and UNC-Chapel Hill freshman Miranda Wilson each received a Youth Leadership Scholarship.

Perquimans County Commissioner Shirley Wiggins (left) receives the Outstanding Leadership Award from Foushee.

N.C. Rep. Larry Hall, who represents Durham County in the House of Representatives, addressed luncheon attendees and discussed the difficult budget decisions the General Assembly had to make this year.

At the business session Aug. 28, NCABCO members heard from Brad Thompson, who works with the Alliance of North Carolina Black Elected Officials and helps coordinate the annual N.C. Black Summit.

Thompson told attendees that it is critical that the state's African-American population not be undercounted for the 2010 census. Distribution of federal funding and political empowerment are both at stake in the upcoming census, Thompson explained.

NCABCO elects new officers in each even-numbered year. Officers, elected in August 2008, are: President Viola Harris (Edgecombe County), First Vice President Howard Hunter III (Hertford), Second Vice President Fred Belfield (Nash), Secretary Fannie Greene (Northampton), Treasurer Valerie Foushee (Orange), Parliamentarian Jerry Stephens (Robeson), and At-Large Directors Deborah Brown (Vance), Lindy Brown (Wake), Robert Carter (Northampton) and Virginia Tillett (Dare).