News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Jan. 17, 2014: Five-time Grammy Award winner, opera singer and recitalist Jessye Norman will receive the AFUWI Bob Marley Award from the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) later this month.
The Augusta-born, Georgia dramatic soprano, will be presented with the honor on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at the 17th Annual Legacy Awards Gala, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City,
The Bob Marley Award is bestowed on individuals “whose contribution to the advancement of arts and culture transcends boundaries of race, color, creed and geographies.”
Norman, according to a statement, “certainly embodies all of the criteria of the award.” She joins previous recipients including Danny Glover, Jimmy Cliff and Judith Jamison.
The star-studded event will be presented under the auspices of Dr. Harry Belafonte, OJ, Answorth A. Allen, MD and David N. Dinkins ad Kaye Foster-Cheek and Janet Rollé. This year’s master and mistresses of ceremonies are Maurice DuBois, Lori Stokes and Susan L. Taylor.
A major component of the Gala is the recognition of those who are standard bearers in the Caribbean American community. This year’s recipients of the Caribbean Luminary Award are Gail E. D. Brathwaite, former executive vice president and chief operating officer of New Alliance Bancshares Inc. and current executive vice president of Bankwell Financial Group, Inc and Bankwell Bank in New Caanan, Connecticut; Michelle Elie, the Haitian-American couture jewelry designer, and Dr. Velma Scantlebury-White, the first African-American female transplant surgeon in the US.
The recipients of the Vice Chancellor’s Achievement Award are Nick Charles, director of communications for LISC (Local Initiative Support Corporation) NYC and the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund; Elinor R. Tatum, publisher and editor-in-chief of the New York Amsterdam News, and Dr. Dwight Williams, Board Certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
Proceeds from the Gala are used to support students from across the Caribbean region at the University’s 4 campuses that face dire financial circumstances that threaten their ability to access a college education.
Last year, the Foundation awarded 66 full-tuition scholarships. The Gala is the signature event of the Foundation, and attracts those of like minds whose desire it is to invest in the journeys of the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals in their pursuit of their aspirations.
For additional information contact AFUWI at 212-759-9345 or visit www.afuwi.org
