RALEIGH, N.C. — Boxed lunches eased appetites during North Carolina Black Alliance’s (NCBA) midyear retreat at a Southeast Raleigh church in August.
There Marcus Bass was after lunch breaking down the boxes for easier disposal, going about the task with a certain vigor, like he was the clean-up man for the church.
Bass is NCBA’s deputy director. He’s a big deal. Yet he cared about the person whose job at some point would entail getting those boxes out of the fellowship hall. It was typical Bass. That’s just who he is, to say nothing of what he does daily to build Black political power in North Carolina — to say everything about why he received The HBCU Triumph Community Advocate Award during Shaw University’s 2nd Annual HBCU Triumph Gala at the Westin Raleigh-Durham Airport on Dec. 6.
“Marcus has always been a champion for the people,” said Terrell Midgett, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Raleigh Raised Development. A Shaw University alum, Midgett co-chaired the gala with fellow alum LT McCrimmon.
Indebted
At the gala, Bass explained Martin Luther King Jr.’s belief that Black people never will be able to satisfy the debt they owe their ancestors.
“I believe that deeply as an advocate,” Bass said.
So he works. Hard. For the people.
“Marcus embodies the true spirit of community service — educating others about policy, empowering candidates to serve and holding leaders accountable. Thanks to his leadership, our communities have not only grown but truly thrived,” said McCrimmon, a government relations professional.
Bass provides leadership for an organization that in 2025 knocked on nearly 60,000 doors and made some 142,000 phone calls encouraging North Carolinians to vote.
NCBA had people on the ground at eight sites throughout the state for the September 20 Rooted in Wellness Day, an annual outreach to increase health care access for people in rural communities.
When state legislators propose ominous bills, NCBA deploys crews to the North Carolina General Assembly to push against what could become bad laws for Black people. “Marcus shows up for justice, for educational equity and for our branches across the state,” said Deborah Dicks Maxwell, the president of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP. “Day in and day out, he lifts others, builds coalitions and moves us forward.”
Legacy
During his acceptance speech, Bass, a North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) alum, couldn’t resist sticking it to anyone at the HBCU Triumph Gala who attended rival North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
“This evening, just a few miles down the road, North Carolina A&T triumphantly defeated the Eagles of North Carolina Central 69-54,” Bass jabbed.
Courtney Crowder, NCBA’s executive director, was cringing. It was playful. Crowder, an NCCU alum and chairman of its board of trustees, was in the ballroom supporting his deputy director.
Bass actually was on script, because the gala was a celebration of Shaw, from which James E. Shepard graduated before founding NCCU. And before NCA&T established roots in Greensboro and eventually became the largest historically Black university in the United States, it was housed at Shaw, a point pressed by state Sen. Dan Blue, who received The HBCU Triumph Magnum Opus Award for a job well done for North Carolinians over the years.
Magnum Opus awards also went to:
- former congressman Bob Etheridge for impact that includes standing in the gap for Shaw
- the late Joseph Holt Sr., his late wife, Elwyna, and the couple’s family for their role in pioneering the integration of Raleigh’s public schools; the couple’s granddaughter, Deborah Holt Noel, was singled out for continuing the family’s push for social justice through her work as a journalist
The HBCU Triumph Distinguished Alumni Award went to former state legislator Rosa Gill, whose contributions include moving the community needle through politics. Former N.C. State University basketball player Dereck Whittenburg and his wife, Jacqueline, were distinguished with The HBCU Triumph Legacy Award for what they’ve done to help students pay for college through The Dereck Whittenburg Foundation.
