KINGSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A community dinner was held Sunday afternoon in Luzerne County to celebrate and honor the last days of Black History Month.
More than 100 people attended the event, which offered multiple different celebratory elements.
Food is usually used as a way to bring people together, but at this NAACP event at the Jewish Community Center in Kingston, so much more was offered beyond a dinner.
On Sunday afternoon, the NAACP Wilkes Barre Chapter held its first Community Dinner at the JCC in Kingston where they had guest speakers, food, and more.
"We wanted to do something that elevated the community elevated small businesses put a focus on, on the development of the black community in the area," NAACP Wilkes-Barre Chapter Assistant Secretary Daryl Lewis.
They had more than 100 show up for this event.
"We have a pretty good turnout there were about 120 people who registered next time we'll have to be prepared for even more cause more people have been coming up to the door and buying tickets," Lewis continued.
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The food was all catered by a new business called Taste of JA, run by twins, Brittany and Brent Stephenson, and their mom, Karen Blake. On the menu, they had some Jamaican specialties.
"We had Fried chicken, jerk chicken, curry chickpeas, rice and peas, cabbage, mac & cheese those were our main meals that we served," Brent explained.
The NAACP Wilkes Barre Chapter helped them get their start and all their paperwork.
"This was our first take so we're super grateful to have catered for the NAACP as our first event," Brittany stated.
One of the speakers at the dinner shared her brother's story who was killed in police custody in Luzerne County.
"This is a good time because it's a community gathering, and some people here do not know and haven't heard about his story and what happened so anytime I get a chance I opportunity to tell his story then I'm going to tell his story," said Rasheda Hammonds, a speaker at the NAACP dinner.
They ended the eventful night by playing a movie for the kids.
