Speaker focuses on fitness as NAACP hands out yearly honors

The Rev. Silas Johnson received the Springfield NAACP’s Webster Plaque at the 90th annual Lincoln-Douglass Banquet on Sunday.

The award is given annually to the person who best exemplifies the spirit of service in Springfield’s black community.

Johnson devotes his time to Calvary Missionary Baptist Church and his Nehemiah Project ministries. He is co-chair of the Eastside Community Foundation and a member of the Mayor’s Homeless Taskforce.

The banquet also featured a speech by fitness author Lyle Johnson, which made a connection to this year’s theme, “One Nation, One Dream — Working Together,” chapter president Teresa Haley said.

“In order to live longer and live out your dreams, you want to be fit,” Haley said. “The NAACP has a national initiative around health, and first lady Michelle Obama is working with school districts throughout the country to talk about childhood obesity. We know obesity impacts the black community a lot more than other communities, and we wanted someone who was an expert in that area.”

Johnson is a certified personal trainer, author of “Get Fit 4 Christ” and owner of St. Louis-based MVP Fitness. Haley said organizers chose Johnson this year because they wanted a more local speaker.

“I thought it was important for us to reach back,” Haley said. “Because he’s a fitness expert and owns a fitness shop in St. Louis, we thought it would be nice to have him come back home and to educate our community of the importance of dieting and exercise and those types of things.”

By Rhys Saunders - Illinois State Journal Register