ABHW Event Honors Black Men

Harvard’s black community came together Saturday night to honor members for “breaking barriers and beating odds” in the seventh annual Tribute to Black Men, hosted by the Association of Black Harvard Women (ABHW).

The event, which took place at the Boston Back Bay Hilton, sought to give black men “a token of appreciation from black women who recognize their value and strength,” according to event co-chair Nicole M. Laws ’06.

Featuring an exclusively female cast, each speaker offered a personal description of one of the award winners, highlighting everything from junior Kwame Owusu-Kesse’s ability to “console even the inconsolable” to senior Bryan A. Smith’s ability to give a feeling of security to his sister.

In addition to Owusu-Kesse and Smith, award recipients included Chimaobi O. Amutah ’07, Bryan C. Barnhill ’08, Zachary D. Raynor ’05, and Brandon M. Terry ’05.

Helen O. Ogbara ’05 honored Award Winner Raynor by saying that he was no stranger to adversity, but had overcome personal obstacles through his passion for the arts. Beyond his involvement in the Callbacks and Step Team, Raynor has also taken part in the Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program and served as a Mission Hill Afterschool mentor.

“I am humbled by this acknowledgement on behalf of the association,” said Raynor. “I am really honored to be in the ranks of the other men being honored tonight.”

In addition to recognizing their fellow students, ABHW also presented the Vanguard Award to BET broadcaster Ed Gordon, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who has interviewed many high-profile politicians and entertainers.

In his speech, Gordon emphasized that all black men have the potential to change the world but must go farther to translate such potential into real action and contributions to the community.

“Some of you will make a difference in the world,” Gordon said. “All of you can, some of you will.”

Admissions officer David L. Evans received the Faculty Award for his efforts to increase black enrollment at Harvard and strengthen the black community on campus.

The event also featured artistic performances. Natasha S. Alford ’08 presented a spoken word piece, “A Message to My Sons,” in praise of black men “for never being quitters” and acting as heroes for their communities. The show also included a ballet performance and a rendition of the song “At Last” by Callie P.S. Watkins ’05.

To show its commitment to the wider black community, ABHW also honored a local high school student, Jordan T. Clark, with a scholarship. In addition to getting involved with community projects, Clark acted through his multicultural club to improve race relations at the Cambridge School of Weston.

As a close to the event, ABHW created a video montage of black women stating that they love black men because of their support as fathers, brothers and sons.

Following the banquet, Tracy T. Moore II ’06 said he felt the event provided encouragement to black men to act as strong, upstanding members of Harvard’s community.

“The recipients are truly remarkable human beings and they’re definitely role models for the entire community at Harvard,” said Moore. “Events of this magnitude serve to not only uplift the community and bring us together but to also reaffirm our ties to the greater black community.”