2003 NVLP Highlights
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NVLP's
First Book
“ A Wealth of Wisdom: Legendary African American Elders
Speak”, in bookstores across the country on January 27,
2004
Summit
on the State of Black America
and the 2003 Visionary Leadership
Awards Gala
The National Visionary Leadership Project held two major events in Washington,
DC on Friday, October 17, 2003: an intergenerational Summit on the State
of Black America at the Library of Congress (our co-host); and the Visionary
Leadership Awards Gala honoring some of our Visionaries in the Performing
Arts at the Kennedy Center’s intimate Terrace Theater. These events
represent a high profile “coming of age” for NVLP, and the first
of what we hope will be an annual recognition underscoring the invaluable
contributions of African American elders to our nation.
Black History
Month Vignettes
Our 30-second Black History month vignettes televised on CBS stations last
February were popular enough that CBS approached us to provide additional
vignettes for Black History month 2004.
Visionary Interviews
NVLP Has completed close to 100-videotaped interviews! They’ve been
transcribed, digitized, and excerpts placed on our web site, with each Visionary
given his or her own page.
Intergenerational
Visionary Roundtable Discussions
2003 Intergenerational
Visionary Roundtable Discussions are one of NVLP’s
most popular programs. The Roundtables provide a rare opportunity for a small,
invited audience of young people and seniors, to informally share ideas with
some of the extraordinary African American elders who have shaped our country’s
history.
These lively, 90-minute exchanges are held in the Visionary Hall of Achievement,
located in our historic Washington, DC brownstone. Using state-of-the-art technology,
NVLP web-casts these discussions live to a world-wide audience who are
tuned in to our web site at www.visionaryproject.com. (The sessions remain
available for viewing on the site following the live broadcast.)
January 17, 2003, featured Visionary David Driskell. The topic: Arts and Politics. The two panelists were Jeffery Pinder, a Graduate Student of Maryland University and Lavinia Wohlfarth, owner of Wohlfarth Galleries.
February 6, 2003, featured Visionary Jimmy Heath. The topic: Jazz & Hip-Hop: A Common Legacy Or A House Divided? The two panelists were Davey Yarborough, an Educator and Jazz Musician and Taisha Turpin, Hip Hop Artist.
March 14, 2003, featured Visionary Dr. John Hope Franklin. The topic: Affirmative Action: “On the Ropes” or Down for the Count.” The two panelist were Ron Jordan, Attorney Placement & Diversity Recruiter and Tanya Anne Callaway, President & CEO of First Touch Communications, INC.
April 3, 2003, featured Visionary Sister Mary Alice Chineworth. The topic: The Church in the Black Community: Which Way From Here? The two panelists were Iman Mahdi Bray, President of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations and Roxanne Lawson, Journalist and community activist.
May 28, 2003, featured Visionary Leatrice McKissack. The topic: Cracking the business code. The two panelists were Sheila Brooks, President & CEO of SRB Productions and Daryl Francis of TD Harvey Music Group LLC.
September 10, 2003, featured Visionary Bishop Barbara Harris. The topic: Change for the future: The Church, Youth and Society. Where are we going from here? The two panelists were Anne-Marie Jeffery, Virginia Theological Seminarian and Pastor Donell Peterman, Pastor of the Joshua Group Ministries.
NVLP’s
Educational Efforts
NVLP’s Educational Efforts are moving forward with considerable success.
We recently received a significant public educational endorsement. Our website
was given an A+ rating by a major teachers’ resource website, Education
World.
The second year of the Visionary Heritage Fellowship Program has proved to be a great success. This year’s class is comprised of 22 talented students from 8 partnering institutions. Meet the 2003 Class of Fellows.
The Visionary Heritage Fellows Program Leadership and Training Conference was held between in June at Howard University in Washington DC. The opening ceremony featured an Intergenerational roundtable session with former New York City Mayor David Dinkins. The highlight of the evening was when NVLP co-founders Dr. Camille Cosby and Ms. Renee Poussaint awarded NVLP scholarships students submitting the top three projects from last year’s class of Fellows. To learn more click here.
Partnering Institutions, 2003
This NVLP partnered with 8 colleges and universities. We have two new additions
to the program (Nyack College in New York and West Chester University in
Pennsylvania). The advisors from both schools approached NVLP after hearing
wonderful things about the program, and have been enthusiastic, welcome
partners in the program.
2003 NVLP Partnering Institutions Include:
Dunbar Alumni Federation Oral History Project
In conjunction with the NVLP, the Dunbar Alumni Federation launched a project
that paired ten former Dunbar alumni with twenty current students. Two
students interviewed an elder on camera about their experiences growing
up in the Nation’s Capitol and attending Dunbar Senior High School
over fifty years ago. Each interview will become part of the Dunbar Alumni
Federation’s permanent archives.
We are very excited about bridging the generation gap between current students
and their elders. Besides being an enjoyable experience for all involved,
this partnership was an extremely enlightening and educational experience
for our youth who benefited greatly from their exposure to and interaction
with their successful predecessors at Dunbar Senior High School. The Federation
hosted its first annual award gala in October of 2003 and this project and
all of its participants were highlighted that evening.
To learn more about it click here.
Reach Into Cultural Heights (RICH)
Students participating in (RICH), a long-standing dropout prevention program
for New York City public school students, were assigned to visit the NVLP
web site, choose, discuss, and write about their favorite Visionary. Their
web site discussions and essays were great It’s a wonderful educational
use of the NVLP web resources. Hopefully, it will be replicated in many
other classrooms.
