Lights, Camera, and Scholars in Action at the 44th Annual GWUL Gala

http://https://youtu.be/RnrY5D0dv_c

The chandeliers illuminated the halls at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC as guest and honorees arrived at the 44th Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. Gala “Unsung Heroes.”  Scholarship awardees walked down the red carpet to have their photo taken just before they entered the main ballroom to be seated to enjoy this magnificent occasion.  Jim Vance kicked off the auspicious event with an energetic welcome to a very large audience.  Before Patti LaBelle had a chance to kick off her shoes, the DC Voice had the pleasure to interview the scholars who were awarded scholarships provided by the Greater Washington Urban League.

The Greater Washington Urban League is a major interracial, nonpartisan, nonprofit social services and civil rights organization with headquarters in the District of Columbia.  Its mission is to “increase the economic and political empowerment of blacks and other minorities, and to help all Americans share equally in the responsibilities and rewards of fuel citizenship.”  The GWUL empowers communities and changes lives using the approaches of social work, advocacy, law and other disciplines.

On Friday, March 11, 2016 the 44th Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Gala “Unsung Heroes” honored those who have made a significant impact in the categories of Unsung Visionary Award, Unsung Lifetime Achievement Award, and the most distinguished of them all were the Scholarship Awardees.  The awardees attend schools in the District of Columbia and Maryland.  The scholarships were awarded from Safeway/Western Union, Pepsi, Sims Foundation, Dr. A. Roy Heron, Giant, Thursday Network Empower Scholarship, Thursday Network Book Scholarship, and the Southwest Airline Travel Scholarship which was awarded to all the scholarship recipients.