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For Release, Black Academy.....Page 2

RUBY DEE and JULIE BELAFONTE, both wives of Black Academy members, were Co-Chairmen of the Dinner Committee for the Banquet, which was a fifty dollar-a-plate fundraising affair. BILL COSBY, who was unable, at the last minute, to appear at last year's Awards Banquet, made up that commitment this year as Guest Artist, along with LETTA MBULU, the South African singer, and the HOWARDS ROBERTS CHORALE which features gospel-rock singer ELLA MITCHELL.

OSSIE DAVIS, who was Master of Ceremonies, and the presenters of the awards, are all members of the Black Academy; the presenters were, LERONE BENNETT, ARNA BONTEMPS, JOHN CLARKE, ADELAIDE HILL, ROBERT HOOKS, ELMA LEWIS, HENRY LEWIS, DOROTHY PORTER, CHUCK STONE, and JOHN WILLIAMS.

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, now in operation for a little more than a year, is composed of fifty-eight black artists and scholars who have achieved distinction in arts and letters. DR. C. ERIC LINCOLN, President of the Academy, stated that the "Annual Awards Banquet is just one way of bringing recognition to, and awareness of, some of the outstanding black artists and scholars of the past, present and future."

Last year at the First Annual Awards Banquet W.E.B. Dubois, Carter G. Woodson, and Henry Tanner were enrolled in the Hall of Fame; Paul Robeson was honored for longstanding contributions to the Black experience and Diana Sands and Imamu Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) were cited for the contemporary contributions to the arts.

CITATIONS OF THIS YEARS RECIPIENTS OF AWARDS ARE ATTACHED

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