PEMBROKE — A brief thunderstorm left the third annual Julian Pierce Dinner and Art Auction without power for almost an hour on Tuesday, but bidders didn’t have trouble finding their checkbooks in the dark.
About $50,000 was raised inside the candlelit annex building at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The money will make the future a bit brighter for students by supporting scholarships in honor of Pierce.
“The whole purpose was to remember a man who fought for the greater good and for all people,” said Wendy Lowery, executive director of the university’s Foundation Board.
About 70 people turned out to remember to the slain civil rights lawyer during the event, which was part of the 47th annual Lumbee Homecoming celebration.
Pierce was the first executive director of Lumbee River Legal Services in Pembroke. He helped build Robeson Health Care Corporation and was a driving force behind the Lumbee Tribe’s outdoor drama, “Strike at the Wind!”
A lifelong champion of the tribe, Pierce petitioned the Bureau of Indian Affairs to recognize Lumbees in 1987. He resigned his position at Lumbee River Legal Services the following year to run for a newly created judgeship in Robeson County, but was murdered before the election was held.
“He would be very humbled and excited to see the diversity of people pulling together for a common cause tonight,” said Harvey Godwin, the owner of Two Hawk Employment Services who spearheaded the fundraiser. “We sold out; this is our third year of selling out.”
Along with Lowery and Godwin, the event’s planning committee consisted of Dale Deese, Cody Godwin, Pamela Hilbert, Stanley Knick, Lydia Locklear, Rebekah Revels-Lowry, Lauren Oxendine and Kim Pevia.
The 20 pieces of art on the auction block were selected by a panel of judges that included Jessica Clark, Margie Labadie and Sandi Carter. A silent auction was held for 17 of the pieces, while three were sold during a live auction.
“Stoney Eagle,” a soapstone sculpture by Terry White, sold for $1,100; “Our Mothers,” a pastel painting by Gloria Lowery, sold for $1,200; and “The Warrior’s Sustenance,” an acrylic painting by Karl Anthony Hunt, sold for $4,000.
Artists receive a 20 percent commission on each piece.
During the auction, a limited edition Salvador Dali print donated from the private collection of Riley Oxendine sold for $5,500.
A brief thunderstorm left parts of the campus without power from about 7:30 to 8:25 p.m. During the outage, volunteers carried the artwork down aisles of tables so bidders could get a better look by flashlight.
Power returned to the building moments after the winning bid was placed for Hunt’s painting.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the light coming on after a gentleman donating that much money is a sign,” auctioneer Benjamin Farrell said.
Following the auction, the university’s chancellor-elect Robin Cummings gave a short talk.
“Julian Pierce was all about vision,” Cummings said. “That man could have gone anywhere in the United States, but he came back to Robeson County because he wanted to make a difference.”
The 47th annual Lumbee Homecoming will continue today at the university with an eight-ball tournament at 10 a.m. and the Little and Junior Miss Lumbee Pageant at 6:30 p.m. For information, visit lumbeehomecoming.com.
