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BLACK ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS,INC.

PROPOSAL FOR THE PRESENTATION 
OF AWARDS TO
PROMISING BLACK ARTISTS AND SCHOLARS

Each year, hundreds of awards, both national and local, are presented to aspiring artists and scholars. It is clear, however, that blacks do not capture more than a modest few of these awards. The restrictions imposed by a predominantly white society on minority achievement extend beyond their economic and social lives, creating a separate standard of intellectual excellence and cultural identity for those who are not among the white majority. Black contributions to culture and scholarship are seen through a white filter, which simultaneously imposes extraordinary specifications for both craftsmanship and perception. Consequently black contributors to art, music, dance, drama and literature are not fairly recognized or supported by the arbiters of taste in existing American cultural institutions. Most black artists and black scholars find it difficult to find support for their perceptions - much less their projects - outside of black communities, which have limited access to the communications media, and limited financial resources.