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Last Updated: Dec 29, 2011 - 2:18:31 AM |
From left NBA star coach Avery Johnson, publisher Elinor Tatum and USVI vacation recipient Reginald Van Lee, Executive Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton in New York at the awards dinner.
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NEW YORK - The United States Virgin Islands
continues to strengthen its relationship with the upwardly mobile
African American market in the United States with its support of the
Weeksville Heritage Center's 10th annual awards dinner in New York City.
Held
at Jumeirah Essex House in New York City on Monday, November 14, the
Weeksville Heritage Center - a national historic site which preserves
the entrepreneurial spirit of the independent African American community
that thrived during the 19th Century in Brooklyn, New York - honored
two prominent individuals and a global corporation for their community
work.
Former NBA player and now coach Avery Johnson of the newly
named Brooklyn Nets; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the New York
Amsterdam News, Elinor Tatum, and Hill International, a global leader in
construction management were on the evening's honor roll.
"As a
territory we remain resolved to continue working with the African
American community and other multicultural markets," said Beverly
Nicholson-Doty, Commissioner of Tourism of the United States Virgin
Islands. The Department of Tourism donated a four-night vacation at the
swanky Ritz Carlton St. Thomas along with a number of complimentary
destination activities which fetched for US$3,700 during the dinner's
auction. Lori Stokes of WABC's Eyewitness News was the MC for the
evening.
The Commissioner said while marketing to the African
American traveler was an important part of the destination's marketing
strategy, supporting educational organizations which promote African
American culture and heritage in the United States was also key.
This
past summer, the Department forged a strategic communications alliance
with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) to attract
African American travelers to the territory.
The USVI department
of Tourism was a major sponsor of the recent Black Enterprise/Pepsi
Golf & Tennis Challenge, a premier African American networking and
sporting event in the United States.
Funds raised from the New
York event will support Weeksville's year-long programs which include
guided school tours of the historic site, preservation workshops for
high school students and a farmers market that offers fresh produce for
hundreds of visitors of all ages and all economic backgrounds.
According
to the organizers, the awards donations have helped to ensure
Weeksville - in what is now known as Crown Heights - becomes a premier
cultural institution in Central Brooklyn as well as a catalyst for
community development. Next year, Weeksville plans to open a new
Education and Cultural Arts Building.
© Copyright 2011 by thebahamasweekly.com
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