CBCF Host First Annual Avoice Heritage Celebration and Awards Ceremony

On February 24, 2010 The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) hosted its first annual Avoice Heritage Celebration. The event recognized and honored individuals and organizations that exemplify the spirit of the Foundation’s Avoice Virtual Library Project. Dr. John Hope Franklin (posthumously), the Shomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, McDonald’s USA, Ms. Joellen Elbashir of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, and former Representatives William L. Clay, Sr. of Missouri and Louis Stokes of Ohio were honored with Avoice Heritage Awards for their outstanding commitment to the importance of African-American history in public life.

Rep. Donald Payne (NJ), Chairman, CBCF Board of Directors, John W. Franklin,  Former Representative Louis Stokes,  Dr. Elsie Scott, President and CEO of the CBCF,Rep. Danny Davis (IL)

“As we selected the individuals and companies that are receiving this prestigious award, we took into consideration what their impact has been on the African-American legislative presence,” said Elsie L. Scott, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer for CBCF. “Dr. Franklin was known for his critical analysis on African-American life, the Schomburg Center is one of the premier residences for academia, McDonald’s has brought the past to light with its Black History 365 Days A Year campaign and Reps. Stokes and Clay are founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus. We wanted to show the synergy between the work that all have done and how we can capture it for future generations through Avoice,” she said.

 The Avoice Heritage Celebration began with an opening reception sponsored by CTIA-The Wireless Association and was followed by an awards dinner program.  Andrea Roane of 9 NEWS NOW on WUSA TV served as the host for the celebration. Representative Donald M. Payne, the newly-elected chair of the CBCF Board of Directors, brought greetings and the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives,  Lorraine C. Miller, gave the statement of occasion. For many, one of the highlights of the evening was Representative Danny K. Davis’ (IL) performance of “A Reason to Celebrate,” a spoken word piece written by Adrena Ifill.

The evening  showcased the African-American Voices In Congress (Avoice) www.avoiceonline.org, a virtual online library that is a premier source of information about historical and contemporary African-American policy issues important to researchers, academics, educators and students. Created in 2006, Avoice’s six digital-archive exhibits focus on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Bill, Origins of the CBC, the Voting Rights Act, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Women of the CBC and Environmental Justice. In addition, Avoice For Educators offers primary document sources, worksheets, vocabulary lists and bibliographies to guide educators in using online resources to supplement classroom instruction in U.S. history, government, civic and environmental science classes.

The Avoice Virtual Library Project continues to expand its programming and partnerships through events such as the Heritage Celebration and its newly-launched Avoice in Action series which features CBC members discussing issues important to the founding CBC members and issues that remain so today. CBCF is also proud to announce a new partnership with the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (GSCNC). Together, Avoice and GSCNC are creating an African Americans in Congress Patch Program to encourage young girls learn about and honor contributions made to American history by African Americans in Congress.

Posted by The Cotillion Online on Mar 10 2010. Filed under Washington, D.C.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.