By Freddie Allen
WASHINGTON—The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) announced that legendary actors Cicely Tyson, Richard Roundtree, and music icon Dionne Warwick will accept awards for their lifetime achievements in the arts during the 20th Annual Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts. The awards ceremony, which will take place Sept. 14 at the Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW in Washington, D.C. from 8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m., is organized in cooperation with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Spouses Visual and Performance Arts Scholarship program. This event will mark the start of the CBCF’s 46th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), one of the nation’s leading public policy conferences.
“With a lifetime of entertaining and educating us, this year’s honorees have also distinguished themselves as remarkable leaders and passionate advocates for the arts and arts education,” said CBCF president and CEO A. Shuanise Washington. “Their outstanding contributions and continuing commitment to the arts make them ideal to help elevate the visibility of the CBC Spouses Visual and Performance Arts Scholarship Program. The awards are conferred on artists whose legacy includes not only extraordinary works but a commitment to cultivating future generations of artists.”
Since 1996, the Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts has raised funds to support the CBC Spouses Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship Fund. Twenty scholarships are awarded annually to highly qualified students pursuing undergraduate degrees in the arts, based on their creative talent, academic excellence, financial need and community service. Two of this year’s scholarship recipients, vocalist Lindsey Reynolds, and Justin Syas, a pianist, will perform during the event.
“We have supported arts education for 20 years through the Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts, during a time when arts education has decreased in many schools,” said Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, a CBC Spouse and chair of the Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts. “We will continue to highlight the contributions of great artists while raising money to support aspiring scholarship recipients as it reinforces the importance of art and its impact in our communities.”
The sponsors for this year’s Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts include Union Pacific Corporation, as the title sponsor, Heineken USA, ASPiRE and UP TV.
ABOUT ALC:
The ALC is the leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global black community. The conference features more than 70 public policy forums on health, education, economic empowerment, the environment, and more. Signature events include the National Town Hall, Celebration of Leadership in Fine Arts, Community Breakfast and Health Fair, Gospel Extravaganza, Black Party, Prayer Breakfast, and the culminating event, the Phoenix Awards Dinner.
This year’s theme, “Defining the Moment, Building the Movement,” will highlight social and political moments in American history that define the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.
To register for the ALC, visit www.cbcfinc.org/alc. Sign up to receive the e-newsletter and follow the CBCF on social media using hashtag, #CBCFALC16 for updates.
