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BLACK ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS, INC 475 RIVERSIDE DRIVE NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10027 TELEPHONE: 212-663-4740 Dear Fellows of the Black Academy: Our annual Meeting and Second Annual Awards Banquet are only five weeks away and if the remaining time passes as quickly as has the rest of the summer, September 18th and 19th will be here before we know it. Let me call your attention to several important matters. On the basis of recommendations by individual members, as well as Committees which have been meeting during the course of the year, the Board of Directors felt that this Second Annual Meeting should be geared towards clarifying, finalizing, and developing the focus of our growing institution. Therefore, the annual Meeting will be attended by members only; this means that it will be closed to the press. We will again be at a downtown hotel, in this case the Waldorf Astoria, as there are no facilities in the black community which can accommodate such a two-day meeting. The schedule and agenda for the meeting will be sent to you by the first of September. If you have suggestions, please forward them to the office so that the Committee may see that they are included among the topics for discussion. I hope that each of you will make every effort to be present to participate in at least one session of the Annual Meeting, since we have so much to report and discuss. I have enclosed a copy of the program for the Awards Banquet, which is being co-Chaired by Mrs. Belafonte and Miss Dee. I am pleased to report that our pre-banquet sponsor meeting in June was so successful (470 seats were reserved) that we felt a larger ballroom was necessary. We were fortunate that among the hotels with large facilities, the Waldorf was still open for that date. We are continuing to receive enthusiastic response and feel that it is quite possible for us to show an unusual second year in attendance, as well as a significant profit. You can help by filling in the names of your friends on the enclosed form so that they might be encouraged to subscribe. BOARD OF DIRECTORS C. ERIC LINCOLN, PRESIDENT JOHN O. KILLENS, VICE-PRESIDENT DORIS E. SAUNDERS, SECRETARY ALVIN F. POUSSAINT, TREASURER CHARLES V. HAMILTON VINCENT HARDING ROBERT HOOKS CHARLES WHITE JOHN A. WILLIAMS MEMBERS JULIAN ADDERLEY ALVIN AILEY MARGARET W. ALEXANDER IMAMU BARAKA ETTA MOTEN BARNETT ROMARE BEARDEN HARRY BELAFONTE LERONE BENNETT ARNA W. BONTEMPS JOHN H. CLARKE FLOYD COLEMAN OLIVER CROMWELL COX ERNEST CRICHLOW JOHN A. DAVIS OSSIE DAVIS ST. CLAIR DRAKE ERNEST DUNBAR LONNE ELDER, III DUKE ELLINGTON JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN ALEX HALEY CHARLES V. HAMILTON VINCENT HARDING INGE HARDISON VERTIS C. HAYES VIVIAN HENDERSON ADELAINE CROMWELL HILL CHESTER HIMES ROBERT HOOKS JEAN HUTSON JOHN O. KILLENS MARTIN KILSON JACOB LAWRENCE ELMA LEWIS HENRY LEWIS C. ERIC LINCOLN PAULE MARSHALL BENJAMIN E. MAYS DONALD MCKAYLE ARTHUR MITCHELL FREDERICK O'NEAL GORDON PARKS SIDNEY POITIER DOROTHY B. PORTER ALVIN F. POUSSAINT BENJAMIN QUARLES LAWRENCE REDDICK (JAY) SAUNDERS REDDING LLOYD RICHARDS LUCILLE D. ROBERTS PAUL LEROY ROBESON CARL T. ROWAN DORIS E. SAUNDERS NINA SIMONE CHUCK STONE CHARLES H. WESLEY CHARLES WHITE JOHN A. WILLIAMS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JULIA PRETTYMAN
