Stand Up for Veterans Event Celebrates Service and Community Impact

U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7th) and the Arthur Lockhart Resource Institute honored three veterans for their service and community leadership during a Veterans Day Musical and Award Luncheon held Nov. 15 at Healing Temple Church, 4941 W. Chicago Ave. in Austin. 

The event, held the weekend after Veterans Day (Nov. 11), was part of the Institute’s Stand Up for Veterans initiative. 

During the event, Davis recognized legendary radio host Cliffard Kelly, businessman and West Point graduate Kenneth Safford, and Vietnam veteran Sgt. Anthony Bingham III. Davis presented each honoree with an award acknowledging both their military service and their continued work on behalf of the community.  

Davis was also honored. Dr. Elizabeth Lockhart, the Institute’s executive director, presented the congressman with a plaque naming him an honorary veteran and praised his legislative support for veterans. 

Lockhart cited Davis’ involvement in a range of bills benefiting veterans, including the Protect Veterans Jobs Act — which supports veterans returning to the workforce — and the Dental Care for Veterans Act, which would expand dental services through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

“For your time in service that you have given unselfishly, we want to say thank you,” Lockhart told Davis.

Davis spoke personally about his lifelong admiration for veterans, recalling how three of his uncles served in World War II and sent home military allotment checks that helped support the family.

“I loved veterans because my three uncles were in World War II,” Davis said. “Every time my grandmother got her check, she’d go to the store and get chocolate candy. I was her favorite grandchild, so I had chocolate candy, and I knew where it came from.”

Davis praised Cliff Kelly, a former serviceman turned Chicago alderman, radio personality, and public affairs host known for giving voice to issues affecting Black Chicagoans.

“He became an outstanding member of the City Council,” Davis said. “He’d be the lead person on things others didn’t want to go along with … and ultimately those issues became the ones that defined the city.”

Kelly thanked the crowd and said he was “fortunate to work with good people to accomplish good things.”

Safford, a decorated U.S. Army veteran, has held leadership roles in logistics, talent management, youth development, and entrepreneurship. He is a graduate of West Point and earned an MBA from Georgia Tech.

Bingham, a Vietnam veteran who served from 1969 to 1971, was recognized for remaining deeply involved in service work after his military career. Davis noted seeing him regularly at events across the city — handing out food, supporting veterans, and working with American Legion posts.

“He came back with a spirit of engagement and determination,” Davis said. “He’s always working to help others.”

Lockhart described the Stand Up for Veterans initiative as an ongoing resource hub offering housing referrals, financial information, mental health programs, first-aid training, and free meals. 

Stand Up for Veterans meets every third Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Healing Temple Church.

Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) urged residents to show appreciation to veterans not only in November, but year-round. 

“When you’re out and see soldiers, start thanking them for their service,” she said. 

Lockhart also thanked state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-8th) for his support of the initiative over the years. Ford, who gave up another chance to serve in the Illinois House to run for Davis’s seat in Congress, is the longtime incumbent’s preferred successor. 

In remarks delivered during the program, Mayor Brandon Johnson called Chicago a proud home to veterans and tied their service to expanded freedoms won over time.

“There are things our generation can say that generations before us would have been lynched or hanged for,” Johnson said. “Congressman Davis and others had to dodge bullets while out collecting petitions to get on the ballot. We don’t get a Congressman Davis, or Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, or a Mayor Johnson without the brave men and women who serve this country to protect our democracy and our right to live freely under the Constitution that is meant to protect everyone.”