RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond community gathered Saturday to share stories and honor the legacy of King Salim Khalfani, the former executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.
Friends and community members remembered Khalfani as a relentless advocate who brought the same passion he showed in government buildings into his everyday life.
For Iman Shabazz, there was no separating the activist from who Khalfani was as a person.
"To talk about Salim both professionally and personally, I think there are so many things that are really intertwined between the two," Shabazz said.
Longtime friend Clovia Lawrence remembered Khalfani as someone who showed up everywhere and demanded change.
"He fought till the end for people. I've never seen a person who would go into a General Assembly, who would go into any cabinet, any meeting... to demand the rights of people. To impact and make it happen for generations to come. He's definitely leaving a legacy for all of us," Lawrence said.
Beyond his titles and public work, Shabazz described Khalfani as an extraordinary friend whose influence shaped him personally.
"A really, really, really solid person whose impact is always going to be something that's a part of me," Shabazz said. "He is what I consider to be the first person to be able to impact my thinking and my development as a man."
Longtime friend Delta Bowers called Khalfani a voice for the voiceless and said the entire community feels the weight of this loss.
"I am just happy to have known him and the great man that he was and the legacy that he leaves," Bowers said. "I am hopeful that we will find another voice like King Salim Khalfani. And I just say, 'Farewell, my friend King Salim Khalfani and God bless your soul.' He will be missed. His voice will be missed."
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