AboutCBCF Presents The Avoice Heritage Celebration
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) will present its third annual Avoice Heritage Celebration honoring those who exemplify a commitment to civic engagement, education, activism and who preserve the rich cultural history of African Americans. The Celebration will take place on February 15, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Eatonville Restaurant, 2121- 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.
This year's awardees include the Barbara Jordan Archive Collection at Texas Southern University and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
The Avoice: African American Voices in Congress virtual library project, the only virtual library project of its kind, was developed by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and is designed to capture and preserve the rich history of political and legislative contributions of blacks for future generations. This virtual, online library is a central source of information about historical and contemporary African-American policy issues important to researchers, academics, educators and students. For sponsorship opportunities please contact Ayah Wilson at awilson@cbcfinc.org.
Visit the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for sponsorship opportunities.
Avoice Mourns the Loss of 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
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
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
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!
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 Environmental Justice Movement
Dear 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:
Spotlight
19th Century Black Congress Member Biographies
CBCF Presents The Avoice Heritage Celebration
Avoice Mourns the Loss of Ofield Dukes
Avoice & the National Archives Present Teaching about the Voting Rights Act of 1965
First memorial on the National Mall to honor a man of color, peace, and hope ... MLK Memorial
Join us as Professor Charles Ogletree of Harvard Law interviews Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Bobby Scott.
more Avoice news...
Trace the history of the CBC with an in-depth look at exactly how, when and why the Caucus was initially formed.
Learn how the CBC has spent years fighting tirelessly to protect the voting rights of underrepresented people
Look back at how the CBC led the charge for the creation of a federal holiday honoring the civil rights hero.
Look back at how the CBC led the charge for the creation of a federal holiday honoring the civil rights hero.
Read about the important role that African American women played in the advancement of healthcare.
Learn how members of the CBC have been at the forefront of the Environmental Justice Movement.
Explore CBC involvement in U.S. education policy and Elementary and Secondary Education Act milestones.
