Image Awards honor MU community

Award ceremony honors members of the black community for contributions.

By Emily Roman

Published April 29, 2008

MU students, staff, friends and family gathered in Stotler Lounge on Sunday night for the fourth annual NAACP Image Awards to recognize those within the black community for their outstanding academic success, leadership and service.

Image Awards Chairman Derrick Alexander said about 150 people attended the semi-formal event to listen to music, dine together and acknowledge those students, faculty members and organizations that received awards.

The Image Awards are held to celebrate the MU black community and recognize students, organizations, faculty and staff whose hard work and achievements continue to serve, uplift and represent the black community, according to the program.

“(The awards) are our way of not only giving recognition but incentive to do more than you have to for the betterment of the black community,” Alexander said.

As planners of the event, the MU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People used an open-ended theme, “Celebrating Us,” as a way to highlight people in the past and also the black community today, Alexander said.

“The past is no more important than the present and definitely no more important than the future,” he said.

All the organizations that affect the black community selected nominees for each of the 11 awards and the NAACP voted on which person or organization best met the criteria for each award, Alexander said.

The evening began with the singing of the Black National Anthem and remarks from Nathan Stephens.

Awards were presented before and after a dinner of fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and rolls.

The event also honored and said farewell to MU history professor Carol Anderson for her years of teaching with roses and a plaque.

Anderson will begin teaching at Emory University in Atlanta next year. The evening came to an end with a speech by Alexander.

Award winners were presented with plaques for their outstanding contributions and scholastic success within the community.

The Barbara Jordan Student of the Year Award and George Washington Carver Scholastic Achievement Award were presented to senior Melissa Chapman.

“It’s a good feeling because the black community is small and I can represent it in such a good light” Chapman said. “It’s exciting.”

The Image Awards lets students, faculty, and organizations know that their efforts are not going unnoticed, Alexander said.

“Why should we expect people to acknowledge us when we aren’t acknowledging ourselves?” he said.

The sponsors for the event included the National Pan-Hellenic Counsel, the Legion of Black Collegians, the College of Engineering, the College of Human Environmental Sciences, the College of Arts and Science Student Council and Black Studies Program.

Alexander said that he is very happy with the turnout this year and hopes that the number of attendees will double for next year.