ADRIAN — A longtime advocate for autoworkers, a local nonprofit, and Adrian’s police chief were honored for their service to the community at the Lenawee NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund banquet on Oct. 19.

Estervell “Russ” Russaw Jr. was presented with a Community Service Award at the dinner, which took place on the campus of Adrian College. He was introduced by Deanne Henagan, a member of the NAACP’s executive committee, who described Russaw’s activism with United Auto Workers Local 2031 after moving from Detroit to Adrian in 1987. 

Henagan said Russaw was a voice for workers during his career and that he continues to advocate for Local 2031 retirees, in addition to serving as a board member for the Lenawee County chapter of the American Red Cross and volunteering as a driver for the Lenawee County Department on Aging. 

Russaw began his remarks by telling the audience how he came to live in Adrian almost 40 years ago.

“I came here in 1987 from a closing facility of General Motors, not knowing what the future held, but I was guided by faith,” he said.

He said moving to Adrian “started a new chapter in my life.”

“I came here sight unseen. I didn’t have to be told what was waiting for me because I knew God had me,” he said.

Russaw reflected on the nature of community service, saying that “it’s not that you do it for adoration, admiration, or even congratulation. You do it because you’re called to serve.”

He described the difficult time for workers that resulted when General Motors spun off its parts division into a separate company, Delphi Automotive, and when Delphi filed for bankruptcy six years later. During that time, he was elected to represent Delphi workers in negotiations at the national level and worked to protect pension benefits.

“Sitting down at the main table where they’re serving the food, you see what’s on that menu,” he said, “and I was bound and determined not to return home to my community here in Adrian without something to reward them for everything they’d done.”

A Community Service Award was also presented to the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee, which offers after-school programs for youth at clubhouses in Adrian and Hudson.

“For years, the Boys & Girls Club has been a cornerstone of hope, growth and opportunity for our youth,” said NAACP executive committee member Kasey White.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee serves over 800 young people every year across Adrian and Hudson,” White said. “That’s 800 lives being enriched, supported and inspired through every homework assignment completed, every healthy meal shared, and every word of encouragement offered by caring staff and volunteers.”

Sara Herriman, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee, was joined at the event by a number of club members.

“Our mission has always been to create a safe place where every young person feels seen, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential,” she said.

“This recognition means so much because it comes from an organization that has long stood for justice, equity and opportunity for all.”

Vince Emrick, police chief for the city of Adrian, was presented with the NAACP chapter’s third Larry Richardson Memorial Police Officer of the Year Award. Richardson, who died in 2018, was the first Black person to serve as an Adrian police officer when he was hired by the department in 1969. He spent three decades with the Adrian Police Department and then served two terms as Lenawee County sheriff.

Joe Costello, a retired judge and NAACP executive committee member, said that Emrick’s service to the community has gone far beyond the traditional role of police chief. He noted in particular the four times that Emrick has served as interim city administrator during leadership vacancies at City Hall. He also said Emrick has made it a priority to put people first and serve all of Adrian’s residents equally.

“He’s always shown a remarkable commitment to immigrant and Latino residents of Adrian, and during these challenging moments when ICE operations caused fear and confusion in our city, he stepped forward as a steady and empathetic liaison,” Costello said, reading from the nomination letter for Emrick. “He listened carefully to the public’s concerns, gave educational updates to the city when leaders were not sure how to respond, and he even created a class for the community to clarify what residents could and could not do under the law. And to prepare for this he undertook extensive research and made countless phone calls to ensure the information he shared was accurate, empowering, and fair.”

Costello continued: “He has earned the trust of the people of Adrian, not through words alone but through action after action that has strengthened the bonds between the city and its residents.”

Emrick described some of the lessons he learned from Richardson, such as “how to treat people with respect and fairness without needing to be the loudest voice in the room.”

“His presence was overwhelming but you didn’t know it,” Emrick said. “He wasn’t shouting at you, he wasn’t shoving his authority down your throat — he was respectful and he commanded the room when he came in.”

Emrick said the honor was particularly meaningful to him because Richardson and the late Tony Cuevas, who was the first recipient of the NAACP’s Police Officer of the Year Award, are two people he has always wanted to emulate during his law enforcement career.