Groups to honor 16 black adults

Proceeds from the dinner will benefit a college-bound program for youths.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Marcus Garvey believed that in order to be free, individuals must first cultivate a strong sense of self-worth.
That's why 16 blacks from Warren are being recognized, not only for who they've become, but for the work they do to advance their community.
The local Marcus Garvey Institute of Awareness and the U.S. Tennis Association/National Junior Tennis League of Warren will honor the adults and young people during a dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. May 19 at Western Reserve Junior High School, 200 Loveless Ave. S.W.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under.
They can be purchased at Clyde's Barbering and Hairstyling, 1600 state Route 422; RBG Music, 1958 Palmyra Road; Eli's, 1407 Niles Road; and Pettway Diner, 1005 Belmont Ave.
Celebration: "A Family Affair -- The Third Biannual Black History Observance," will celebrate black heritage by recognizing leaders including pastors, college students, an attorney and the leader of the Warren-Trumbull County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Leadership awards will be given in the names of Garvey, black nationalist leader, and Frederick Douglass, black leader, journalist and statesman in the 1800s. Proceeds will help pay tutors working with the institute's college-bound program.
Abdu Awolowo, director and founder of the local institute and tennis program, said adult males will be honored this year, as the organizations recognized female leaders a few years ago.
"People need to realize that our national leaders must be recognized, but we certainly need to pay homage to the people here who are in the trenches for us every day," he said.
The institute is patterned after a school in California, and the tennis program has chapters across the country.
In Warren, pupils between 8 and 18 compete in the summer against other tennis associations. Awolowo said the program primarily serves black children, but noted children of other races have joined in recent years.
Program founder: The national tennis program was founded by the late black tennis pro Arthur Ashe, who helped fund the project for disadvantaged youths because tennis is primarily considered a white sport, Awolowo said.
Awolowo said the groups' programs and awards go along with Garvey's philosophy that says, "The man or woman who has no confidence in self is an unfortunate being, and is really a misfit in creation. Confidence, conviction, action will cause us to be free men today."