[Ralph Bunche Award\Patrisse Cullors]
“UCLA has a long history of being at the forefront of social justice issues and Patrice Cullors continues that tradition as an influencer and agent of global change in the unapologetic demand that Black Lives be valued.”
Photo: Facebook
Black Lives Matter co-founder and Yes on R founder Patrisse Cullors to receive Ralph Bunche Award.
The UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) will recognize Black Lives Matter co-founder and Yes on R founder and chair, Patrisse Cullors, at its prestigious Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship Gala honoring prominent UCLA alumni and Los Angeles community members for their career achievements and contributions to the overall African American community.
The awards dinner and ceremony will take at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza located at 251 South Olive Street in downtown Los Angeles on March 14, 2020, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM.
“UCLA has a long history of being at the forefront of social justice issues and Patrice Cullors continues that tradition as an influencer and agent of global change in the unapologetic demand that Black Lives be valued,” said Michelle Johnson, UCLA Black Alumni Association President. “Patrice embodies Black Bruin Excellence.”
The Ralph Bunche Humanitarian of the Year Award is being presented to artist, activist, educator, public speaker, and Los Angeles-native Patrisse Cullors. Patrisse has been on the frontlines of criminal justice reform for the past 20 years like the Los Angeles-based grassroots organization she founded, Dignity and Power Now, and through her role as co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. She continues her social activism work through ongoing work leading Reform LA Jails and the “Yes on R” campaign, a ballot initiative that passed with 71% of votes during the March 2020 primary election.
Started in 2006, the Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship was established to provide much-needed financial assistance to African American students accepted to UCLA. The scholarship program was developed as a response to the enrollment of only 96 Black freshmen to UCLA that year and named after the former UCLA Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Winston C. Doby and is administered by the California Community Foundation.
Today, UCLA boasts the highest African American undergraduate enrollment rate in the entire UC-system. UCLA is also ranked the #1 public university in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, for the third year in a row. “UCLA has seen the highest African American freshmen enrollment rate in the school’s history over the last three years,” adds UBAA President Michelle Johnson. “Patrisse’s work is invaluable to the Los Angeles community overall, and African Americans nationwide. She is an inspiration to current and future Black Bruins seeking to walk in her footsteps.”
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the UCLA Black Alumni Association. For Angelenos like me, attending this prestigious institution is a great feat. I want to honor all the Black students and professors that have made it possible for someone like me to attend this school, let alone be honored! I want to also honor all the Black students that got here and did not finish. I also see you. My hope is that we continue to support the Black folks that are students, faculty, and staff on this campus.” said Cullors.
Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities for the Gala Dinner are available and additional information can be obtained by sending an email to [email protected]. Individual tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.uclablackalumni.org. Information is also available at https://member.uclablackalumni.org/event/E6608024986.
Additional information about the Doby Legacy Scholarship Fund can be found at https://member.uclablackalumni.org/event/E6608024986. Contributions made to the fund online and at the event are tax-deductible and benefit scholarships for UCLA students.
About the UCLA Black Alumni Association
The purpose of the UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) is to empower UCLA African American Alumni, Students, Faculty and the Community at Large to form powerful associations through advocacy and mobilization that will create greater educational opportunities and resources for the African American community collectively. Providing scholarships, advocacy, support and networking opportunities have been just a few of the ways this organization has and continues to support the University and its mission of having the best and brightest students walk the halls of UCLA. For more information, log onto http://www.uclablackalumni.org/. Follow UBAA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
About Patrisse Cullors
Artist, organizer, educator, and popular public speaker, Patrisse Cullors is a Los Angeles native and Co-Founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and Founder of grassroots Los Angeles-based organization Dignity and Power Now. Cullors is a New York Times bestselling author of When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir (2018). She is also the Faculty Director at Arizona’s Prescott College of a new Social and Environmental Arts Practice MFA program that she has developed. For the last 20 years, Cullors has been on the frontlines of criminal justice reform and is currently leading Reform LA Jails’ “Yes on R” campaign, a ballot initiative set to pass after the primary election vote in March 2020.
