Lauderdale County community leaders paid tribute to three female trailblazers on Friday as the Women’s Alliance of Meridian hosted a Celebration of Women Leaders at The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.
Carolyn Smith, Farida Lala and Veldore Young-Graham were recognized for their legacies of breaking down barriers and forging their own paths of opportunity and service in the community.
Lala, a native of Surat, India, moved to the United States in 1974. She and her husband, Abdul Lala, relocated to Meridian in 1977 and in an impulse purchase in 1980, she bought a small, rundown 10-room hotel. Since then, Farida, Abdul and their children have turned their venture into business into Lala Enterprises, which owns more than seven hotels in Mississippi and Alabama and continues to grow.
Abdul Lala said his wife of more than 50 years possesses the unique ability to both pursue opportunities while being flexible enough to adapt and pivot when presented with challenges.
“Farida, you have been my great partner for 52 years. You are an amazing mother to our children. I don’t think I would be where I am today without your help, support and hard work. You are a dreamer with a plan, grounded in purpose but flexible enough to pivot when the ground shakes,” he said. “I love you. I would not be where I am today. Thank you for all you did for us.”
Smith has been involved in the Meridian and Lauderdale County community for the better part of 70 years, starting with her banking career at what is now Trustmark Bank in 1955. She retired from banking in 2002, and in 2009 became the executive director for the State Games of Mississippi and still serves as a consultant to the Games when needed.
In addition to State Games, Smith has served with the United Way of Lauderdale County, the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation, East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, American Cancer Society and more.
“We owe her a lot in our community, and also, I would say how many people 90 years old are still working,” said Ann Alexander, a longtime friend of Smith. “And God has blessed her with good health to continue, and God has also blessed our community by giving us Caroline. And she’s happy when she’s working hard for the community. I can attest to that.”
Graham, who currently serves as County and Youth Court Judge for Lauderdale County, has left a trail of shattered ceilings throughout her career becoming Lauderdale County’s first Black female public defender, first Black assistant district attorney and first Black County and Youth Court judge. In 2009, she started the first drug court in Meridian as well, bringing new resources and opportunities to help those suffering from addiction.
Judge Lisa Howell, a longtime friend of Graham and fellow County and Youth Court Judge, said Graham has always fought for the best possible outcome for the people she serves, and that has stayed the same through her time as a public defender, prosecutor and now judge. She is committed to helping connect those in need with the resources to help them.
Graham said she realized years ago that her main competition is herself, and she tries each day to push herself just a little bit further in the service of the community. The daughter of Civil Rights icon Charles Young Sr. and granddaughter of prominent Black businessman E.F. Young Jr., she said she wants to make her family proud but also make Meridian a better place to live.
“I’m all about history and legacy and making sure that we continue those things, and I encourage everybody else to do it because in my life there are no big Is and little Us. Everybody is somebody,” she said. “I have always been taught that success is not final and failure is not fatal, so I am not afraid to fail. But I am also not impeded or think that I need to stop just because I succeed at something.”
There are no shortcuts, Graham said. Achievement is the result of hard work, courage and consistency. Luck has nothing to do with it.