I do God鈥檚 work, not man鈥檚, so man doesn鈥檛 phase me.
Ernestine Lewis Ward moved to New Jersey at 18, but she relocated back to North Carolina when she felt the time was right. She wanted to get involved in the Burlington community, showing the community that African Americans were there to stay.
Ms. Ernestine ran for City Council, Mayor, County Commissioner, and School Board. Eventually she joined the board of the Alamance County chapter of the NAACP, a human rights group that 鈥渂uilds Black political power to end structural racism.鈥 There, she served for decades as Secretary and President.
Ward faced many obstacles, but she was resilient in advocating for Black voices. If the county refused to listen to her, she would find a way to make things happen on her own. In 1994, Ward founded the E. Bynum Education center, an after school program designed to provide assistance with homework and tutoring children in the Burlington community. She remains humble regarding her service, saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not me鈥 do what the Spirit needs me to do.鈥