Annual Community Pillars Awards Ceremony Set for August 1
Monday, July 27, 2020
MIAMI – The Heritage Planning Committee of the Black Affairs Advisory Board will host its annual “Community Pillars” awards and scholarship presentation at 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., on Saturday, August 1, 2020, via the Zoom virtual platform https://miamidade.live/PillarAwards. The event will be livestreamed on the Black Affairs Advisory Board’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BlackAffairsAB/.
This year’s Community Pillars are:
• Armen Henderson, MD, for his volunteer efforts in providing onsite medical services to the homeless population in Miami.
• Edwin Sheppard, for founding the “Blindfolded International Student & Cultural Exchange” which facilitated an exchange program with students visiting South Florida from Botswana with students at Miami Central High School.
• Dr. Whittington B. Johnson, the first African American tenured professor hired at the University of Miami.
• Juanita Walker, for her a mission to provide quality childcare to some of the most economically disadvantaged communities in Miami-Dade County.
The Black Heritage Planning Committee will also award scholarships to five Young Pillars:
• Kamari Dawson (Morehouse College)
• Heaven Kendricks (Albany State)
• Na’Vaeh Kendricks (Albany State)
• Chanice Forbes (Missouri State)
• Kennedy Jennings (Alabama A&M University)
Additionally, the Black Hospitality Initiative (BHI) of the Greater Miami Convention will present its award to Florida International University student Paige Johnson. The Clarence Pittman Jr. Scholarship, supported by the Miami-Dade Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, will be presented to Brandi Milliner (Bethune-Cookman University) and Jasmine Brown (Florida State University).
“This year’s observance, as have many other community events, pivoted to the virtual Zoom platform due to the current pandemic,” notes Black Affairs Advisory Board Chair Stephen Hunter Johnson. “We are cognizant of the need to discourage in-person gatherings and decided not to postpone this uplifting celebration of our dedicated Community Pillars as well as present scholarships to our Young Pillar recipients,” added Black Heritage Planning Committee Chair Edgar Wright.
The honorees were selected for their support of programs or businesses which positively impact the community and have a deep commitment to public service. Most of them have toiled tirelessly without fanfare for years in their chosen community path.
For more information, please contact Black Affairs Advisory Board Director Retha Boone-Fye at [email protected] or 305-815-1932.
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