To all of our OBMG Members and supporters,
The SUNY Maritime College Cultural Club hosted the 34th Black History Month Event, featuring OBMG Scholarship Awards, on February 25th, 2021.
The event was a groundbreaking evening of virtual presentations that was attended by over 100 people. As always, it was a moving and inspiring event.
This year the musical component was provided by the National Anthem being sung by Cadet Andrew Danko ‘22. This was followed by a fabulous performance by the Stanford Talisman University Alumni Choir singing the National Black Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing. This was then followed by the Noel Pointer String Players performing an original piece, The Reconstruction.
OBMG honored our top donors, FISERV, The Marine Society for the City of New York and the Kurth Religious Foundation. Beautiful art glass awards were mailed to the donors as a symbol of our appreciation. They represent our slogan, Many Drops Make Mighty Oceans.
It was evident by the large number of scholarship applications received that our scholars' need for financial support is greater than ever. A total of 25 scholarships were awarded this year.
Every year the OBMG awards our Academic Achievement Award, given to the applicant with the highest GPA over 3.0, in honor of Carl F. Burnett, '50. Mr. Burnett was the first African American graduate of SUNY Maritime College. For the 3rd year in a row the Academic Achievement Award was awarded to Cadet Joshua Forbes Hart, '22.
The remaining scholarships were awarded in honor of William B. Gould. Mr. Gould was an enslaved man who escaped along with 7 other enslaved men, commandeered a boat and turned themselves over to the Union blockade. He continued to sail with the Union Navy for 3 years. His narrative was told in the book, Diary of a Contraband, written by his great grandson, William B. Gould IV. The book is based on a diary written by William Gould about his time as a slave and his escape. William Gould IV was our Guest Speaker and made a video presentation at the dinner about his heroic ancestor.
The evening culminated with a Black History Month presentation by SUNY Maritime College.
The entire evening, including the after chat, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivlnprdTNxI. We know that you will enjoy viewing the video of the evening!
Thank you to our membership and to our donors, large and small, for the continued support. All of this is possible because of you!