The Museum of African American History Honors the "Living Legends of 2009"
The Museum of African American History Honors the “Living Legends of 2009”
Boston, MA – Governor Deval Patrick is among the notable “Living Legends of 2009”
who will be honored on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 by The Museum of African American
History (MAAH). The Museum will also pay tribute to Carol Fulp, Vice President of
Community Relations, Sponsorship and Event Marketing at John Hancock Financial;
Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor of Law; Alan
Solomont, philanthropist, political activist and healthcare entrepreneur. These four were
instrumental in the groundbreaking election of this nation’s first black president. The
Tuskegee Airmen of New England will also be celebrated for their bravery and
achievements as they created a new standard of aviation excellence during World War II
that lives on nearly 70 years later.
A fundraiser for MAAH, the evening will feature an awards ceremony, reception, live music
and dancing. The event, which begins at 6:30pm on June 10, will be held at the University
of Massachusetts Boston Campus Center. Individual tickets are $250.00. Sponsorship
opportunities are available. For details, e-mail Scott McDuffie at smcduffie@maah.org, or
call him at 617/725-0022, ext. 23. For additional information, please visit
www.maah.org.
Beverly Morgan-Welch, Executive Director of MAAH, said, “All of our honorees - each in a
special way - helped to make history happen. They are visionaries whose efforts ushered
in a new era of possibility for our nation.”
Meet the Living Legends - four of whom played key roles in the campaign to elect
the nation's first African American president:
􀂃 The Honorable Deval L. Patrick became the second African American elected
governor in the United States, and the first African American Governor of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Having experienced his own historic campaign,
he went on to serve as Campaign Co-Chair for President Barack Obama’s historic
Presidential bid, stumping for the President in almost every battleground state from
New Hampshire to Florida. The Governor carried the campaign’s shared message
of hope and a commitment to changing politics, to diverse communities, across the
nation. He chaired the 2008 Democratic Platform Committee, calling for the
transcendence of status quo politics.
􀂃 Carol Fulp is Vice President of Community Relations, Sponsorship and Event
Marketing at John Hancock Financial where she directs the company’s marketing
sponsorships including the Boston Marathon, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles
Dodgers, U.S. National Archives, Kennedy Presidential Library and the
Commonwealth Museum. As a member of the Obama National Finance
Committee, she personally raised $300,000, and she led the Massachusetts
Women for Obama to raise an additional $200,000. Fulp also was a key organizer
in hosting the Virgin Islands’ first presidential candidate fundraiser bringing
candidate Obama to the Islands for the first time. This year the Massachusetts
Democratic Party selected her to receive the distinguished Eleanor Roosevelt
Award.
􀂃 Charles Ogletree is the Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor of Law,
and Founding and Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for
Race and Justice. Ogletree has served as a mentor for both President Barack
Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama since their time at Harvard Law School in
the 1980’s. He has been pivotal in raising support for Obama’s senatorial
campaign and served as the senior adviser during his presidential campaign. He
traveled around the country for much of 2008 organizing and participating in voter
protection training for lawyers and law students and meeting with religious groups,
students, lawyers, business leaders and community advocates, promoting Barack
Obama to be the first black president of the United States of America. He continues
to serve as an informal adviser to the President and First Lady whenever
necessary.
􀂃 Alan D. Solomont is a philanthropist, political activist and healthcare entrepreneur.
As founder and CEO of the A•D•S Group, Solomont helped build a broad and
innovative network of post-acute elder care services. A veteran of political
campaigns, Solomont cast his lot with Obama in early 2007, chairing the Obama for
America New England Steering Committee. The committee met weekly for two
years, and as a result, Massachusetts raised more dollars per capita for Obama
than any other state. The most gratifying experience for Solomont was Obama
University, an idea he developed to engage the country’s next group of leaders.
Two hundred future leaders met in Chicago to be briefed by campaign staff and
trained in campaign practices and many “graduates” went on to become
meaningfully involved in the election process for the first time. Living in Weston,
Solomont and his wife, Susan Lewis have two daughters, Stephanie and Becca.
In addition, the Museum is honoring The Tuskegee Airmen, New England Chapter
who broke barriers and displayed heroism during World War II:
􀂃 The Tuskegee Airmen, New England Chapter represent and honor the nation’s
first military black airmen, numbering 16,000. They forged an exemplary record
during World War II that eventually led our country to integrate its armed services.
They belong to an elite group of black military pilots trained at Alabama’s Tuskegee
Institute that came to be known as the “Tuskegee Experiment".
The Tuskegee Airmen also importantly include bombadiers, navigators, parachute
riggers, engine mechanics, instructors, and other support staff who led to the
incredible success and indelible mark on history made by these courageous military
men. On January 20, 2009 a group of 200 Tuskegee Airmen were proud to attend
the inauguration of the first African American President, Barack Obama.
What’s New at the Museum
Be sure to take a tour of The Museum of African American History’s Black Entrepreneurs
of the 18th and 19th Centuries exhibit. One of the first of its kind, the exhibit will run
through September 30, 2009 and will be on display at MAAH, 46 Joy Street on Beacon Hill
in Boston. The display is free and open to the public. Donations to The Museum of African
American History are welcomed.
About the Museum of African American History
The Museum of African American History is dedicated to preserving, conserving and
accurately interpreting the contributions of African Americans in New England from the
colonial period through the 19th century. The Museum has four historic sites: on
Nantucket, the African Meeting House (1820s) and the Seneca Boston-Florence
Higginbotham House (c1774); and in Boston, the African Meeting House (1806) and the
Abiel Smith School (1835). Black Heritage Trail® tours are available on Nantucket and
Boston's Beacon Hill.
Peace,
Kelley
Kelley Chunn & Associates
Providing Culturally Smart Strategies to Promote Social Change
www.kelleychunn.com
617-427-0997
Chandra Harrington
617/725-0022 ext. 12
