Prior commitments

When I read in The News & Observer on Jan. 24 that some Republican candidates for governor were not going to attend an NAACP debate, I called the office of state Sen. Fred Smith. I am an African-American Republican and a lifetime member of the NAACP.

When I asked why Smith was not attending, I was told that Smith's office had already mailed 3,500 invitations to residents of Pamlico and Beaufort counties to a free barbecue on the same day as the NAACP event.

In the eight years I know about, Smith has attended MLK celebrations both inside and outside of his district; sometimes he is on the program as a speaker.

When a nonprofit group of African-Americans needed help to provide free meals, Smith did not make excuses like others who could have helped; he simply wrote the check. This is why many African-Americans voted for Smith to become their senator. For many, it was their first time voting for a Republican!

There was no snub intended to the NAACP. The major tenet of journalism is to get the facts straight. This could have easily been accomplished had someone picked up the phone and called Smith's office like I did.

Joseph Avery

Smithfield