Dropping out of high school and then getting laid off from a job can send many a young man on the road to frustration. But for Willie Jones, it was a blessing in disguise, prompting him to return to school where he met his future wife.
“I moved from Alabama to work in Northwest Indiana. I heard there was money to be made here,” he said during a recent celebration of Black History Month at Hammond City Hall. “I was working at Blaw-Knox in East Chicago for a while and then got laid off. I realized then that I needed to go back to Alabama to finish school.”
It was there that he met Betty, who became his wife after high school graduation. The couple moved to Arizona, then to Indiana, where they settled in Hammond 42 years ago. Their union has continued for 51 years.
Along with five other African-American couples from Hammond, the Joneses were honored for their marriage’s longevity during this year’s Black History Month Celebration, an event titled Family Matters.
More Top Picks Breville Bit More 2 Slice
“Family structure is about maintaining a rich legacy of what’s important in our past, present and future,” said Owana Miller, the city’s community development director who helped plan this year’s ceremony.
Each February, Miller joins with members of the Hammond Human Relations Commission and the Black History Coalition Committee to coordinate a celebration of Black History Month and the many contributions and achievements African-Americans have made throughout Hammond’s history.
At the recent ceremony, more than 100 people filled the lobby of Hammond City Hall as Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. welcomed the crowd.
“This is all about family,” he said. “Many problems today happen because families don’t follow the examples of the fine couples we are honoring today.”
During the afternoon, Wallace Elementary School fourth-grader Brooklyn Morris sang for the audience, and Edward Simmons from Mt. Zion Baptist Church provided background music
Helen Hopson’s in-laws, Mae and Ernest Hopson Sr., were among the couples recognized, with 57 years of marriage under their belt.
“This recognition of long-standing marriages says quite a bit to the community,” Helen Hopson said. “It says marriage can work, you can make it if you hang in there, God is on your side.”
Her mother-in-law added, “You have to have trust in each other and always work together.
Advice from the couples for a long and happy marriage ran the gamut from “never go to bed angry” and “put God first in your life” to “learn to forgive”, with much in-between.
After the ceremony, the honorees and their families were invited to the mayor’s office for a reception.
“It great to be able to see what’s happening in Hammond that’s positive,” said resident Miriam Love, as she talked with the couples. “These couples deserve to be recognized.”
Programs developed in the past for Black History Month have honored African-American World War II Veterans, the oldest living African-American women in Hammond and the Tim Bishop Memorial African-American Male Athletes of the Year, to name a few.
In addition to Willie and Betty Jones, five other African-American couples from Hammond were honored at the recent ceremony for their marriage longevity. There were: Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Upshaw, 57 years; Mr. & Mrs. Howard Cheatham, 63 years; Deloris and Sammie Weems. 56 years; Mr. & Mrs. Lester Campbell, Jr. 53 years; and Mae and Ernest Hopson Sr., 57 years.