Thank You to the 2012 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Avoice Heritage Celebration Sponsors

Avoice is excited to announce our current sponsors for the third annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Avoice Heritage Celebration.

Platinum Sponsor
Anheuser-Busch



Program Journal Sponsor
State Farm Insurance


Open Reception Sponsor
CTIA The Wireless Foundation


Table Gift Sponsor
Prudential

Media Sponsor
News Corporation

Gold Sponsor
Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers

Gold Sponsor
WalMart

Bronze Sponsor
American Gaming Association

Avoice appreciates your dedication to preserving the legacy of African-American legislators by supporting the Avoice Virtual Library.

For more information on our sponsorship packages please visit the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.


CBCF Presents The Avoice Heritage Celebration

Avoice Heritage Celebration

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) will continue its commemoration of Black History Month by hosting its third annual Avoice Heritage Celebration (Avoice: African American Voices In Congress) from 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., February 15th, at the Eatonville Restaurant, 2121 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.

The intimate evening will also serve as a fundraiser for Avoice. The Avoice Virtual Library is a premier source of information about historical and contemporary African-American policy issues important to researchers, academics, educators and students.   It is the only virtual library project of its kind.

The celebration, a reception and awards program, will honor organizations for their work in preserving African-American legislative history and for their commitment to cultivating minority civic engagement, public discourse on African-American history, or the preservation of important historic artifacts through philanthropic or programmatic support.

The 2012 awardees are:

  • Distinguished CBC Member Preservation Avoice Heritage Award: Barbara Jordan Archive Collection
  • Distinguished Organization Avoice Heritage Award: Association for the Study of African American Life and History
  • Distinguished Corporation Avoice Heritage Award: Johnson Publishing Company


Avoice Mourns the Loss of Ofield Dukes

Ofield Dukes

It is with deep regret that Avoice announces the passing of Ofield Dukes at age 79. Mr. Dukes played a major role in African-American legislative history. He was a huge supporter of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and encouraged its mission to develop leaders, impact policy, and educate the public. Most notably, he assisted in organizing the first Congressional Black Caucus Dinner and served on the board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for 14 years. The spirit that Ofield Dukes possessed and his insight and commitment to the CBCF will surely be missed.

Please visit the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to watch the Ofield Dukes Tribute video.


Avoice & the National Archives Present Teaching about the Voting Rights Act of 1965

National Archive Seal

Avoice is excited to announce our participation in Teaching about the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a teacher development training held at the National Archives on November 9, 2011. Avoice has partnered with the National Archives' Center for Legislative Archives in order to provide a professional development workshop for teachers of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS). The teachers will obtain effective classroom methods to implement lessons on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and current diversity issues.

To obtain lesson plans that will diversify classroom curriculums, please visit our "For Educators Section".





First memorial on the National Mall to honor a man of color, peace, and hope ... MLK Memorial

Heritage Celebration

On October 16, 2011, the Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication will take place on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This monumental occasion will bring participants of the Civil Rights Movement, modern civil rights activist, and citizens and leaders from various countries to our nation's capitol to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The first memorial on the National Mall to honor a man of color, peace, and hope, the MLK dedication ceremony will truly motivate our country to remember the importance of embracing humanity, equality, and justice. The MLK Memorial will be a forever memento of the incredible man Dr. King was and the everlasting impact he had on bringing freedom and change to our country.

To learn more on remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, please visit Avoice's exhibit on Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Bill exhibit.







CBCF and Howard University Remember Dr. Ronald Walters

Heritage Celebration

On April 5, 2011, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and Howard University joined forces to organize a day-long symposium celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus. This day of reflection and exploration brought together people from around the country to discuss the CBC’s past struggles and triumphs and look forward to the role of the Caucus in the future.

As part of the day, CBCF’s Avoice project asked current and former CBC members, CBCF leaders and Howard University faculty to compose letters of tribute honoring the late Dr. Ronald Walters’ for his legacy as an influential force in the development of the CBC and as a distinguished scholar, political advisor and commentator, professor, author and mentor. This touching collection is now a part of CBCF’s Avoice archives.

View the Dr. Walters Tribute Collection (20MB PDF)


Avoice Resource For Educators!

 Student Photo

Visti the Avoice For Educators Section for a collection of lesson units featuring classroom activities, vocabulary lists, worksheets, timelines, bibliographies and other resources for teachers. Each unit is designed to meet national educational standards and draws on the extensive primary sources in the Avoice collection to give teachers a way to incorporate digitized documents, photos, video and other online resources into their classroom history, social studies, political science and environmental science lessons.

Check out the three lesson units available now:

The Voting Act of 1965

The Anti-Apartheid Movement

The Environmental Justice Movement


Dear Rep. Shirley Chisholm...

Rep. Shirley Chisholm

Honoring Representative Shirley Chisholm's Historic Leadership

On September 25, 2009, Avoice hosted an issue forum honoring the historic leadership of the CBC's first female member, Rep. Shirley Chisholm, at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 39th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Panelists spoke about Rep. Chisholm's leadership on education issues, her run for President, how she helped open the halls of Congress for other women and their own personal reflections of "Ms. C."

As part of the session, Avoice asked current CBC members and many of Rep. Chisholm's former staffers to compose letters sharing what they remember most about Rep. Chisholm and why she made a difference in their lives and the lives of the American people. This touching collection is now a part of the Avoice archives.

View the Avoice Tribute Booklet (PDF required).


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Click on the RSS button to your right at the top of the Avoice News section to be notified when new content or news is added to the Avoice Virtual Library.


 

More Avoice Exhibits:

additional information and links.

Origins of the CBC

Trace the history of the CBC with an in-depth look at exactly how, when and why the Caucus was initially formed.

Voting Rights Act

Learn how the CBC has spent years fighting tirelessly to protect the voting rights of underrepresented people

MLK, Jr. Holiday Bill

Look back at how the CBC led the charge for the creation of a federal holiday honoring the civil rights hero.

Anti-Apartheid Movement

Look back at how the CBC led the charge for the creation of a federal holiday honoring the civil rights hero.

Women of the CBC

Read about the important role that African American women played in the advancement of healthcare.

Environmental Justice

Learn how members of the CBC have been at the forefront of the Environmental Justice Movement.

Education Policy

Explore CBC involvement in U.S. education policy and Elementary and Secondary Education Act milestones.