We are pleased to announce Darold Newton as the 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Community Service Award in Bay County. He will be honored alongside Waheed Akbar, M.D. (Saginaw County) and Erin Patrice (Midland County) during the Great Lakes Bay MLK Regional Celebration on Wednesday, January 19 at 7 p.m. Register for the virtual event at svsu.edu/mlk.
Darold is the TV host and producer for Delta College Public Media’s “Soul Issue: The African American Perspective.” He also serves as president of the NAACP Bay City Branch, a role he has filled since 2011. Darold has worked to address civil rights and social justice issues for all people in Bay County and the Great Lakes Bay Region, including working with community partners on projects such as the 2020 Census; diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies in the K-12 system; improving vaccination rates in underserved communities; and Black Lives Matter policing issues.
Newton said his goal is to “encourage all of us to be prepared to answer the call to lead your own band when the baton is passed to you. Similar to our model, Dr. King, do it for the cause, not the applause!”
He continued, “I am deeply honored and humbled by the award and encourage everyone, especially the young MLK scholarship recipients, to get engaged and stay engaged in all things local, from the school board to local government positions, because all politics start local and have a direct impact on the community in which we live.”
I am proud to serve my community through my role at BACF. As a Program Officer, I collaborate with nonprofit, government, church, and school partners in Bay and Arenac counties to navigate our grant opportunities and find the right funding alignment. From project conception to post-award, I am your main contact for all things grants. Connecting organizations and donors who share the same vision and passion is at the heart of my work.
