C.T. and Octavia Vivian Museum and Archives Hosts Inaugural Kaleidoscope Awards for Literary Excellence
Throughout their lifetime, C.T. and Octavia Vivian collected more than 6,000 books on African American literature, history, poetry, and similar works. To honor their life and legacy, The C.T. and Octavia Vivian Museum and Archives Inc. is hosting a fundraising dinner at the Marriott Marquis on April 7th, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. This benefit will honor best-selling authors who have made exceptional contributions to the African American experience.
This occasion will not only raise necessary funding for the Vivian nonprofit but will work to provide a platform to support Black writers and others writing about the Black experience. These tributes will continue the legacy of the Vivians in this inaugural year and in many years to come, inspiring a love of literacy through literature.
The book awards committee, led by NewSouth Books publisher Suzanne La Rosa, has selected Natasha Trethewey, author of Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir to be awarded in the “Memoir” category and Taylor Branch in the “History” category for his body of work, in particular his trilogy, The King Years. Additionally, An American Marriage author Tayari Jones will be given the “Fiction” award for her body of work; Ta-Nehisi Coates will be honored for his brilliant non-fiction essays, We Were Eight Years in Power, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution race and culture writer, Ernie Suggs will be honored in the “Journalism” category.
In addition to the awards, the evening, emceed by Atlanta legend, Monica Kaufman Pearson, will provide entertainment and an event that will be both memorable and historical.
Sponsors are lining up to generously support the event including Coca-Cola, Delta, Georgia Pacific, The Arthur M. Blank Foundation, The Atlanta Falcons, Kaiser Permanente, H.J. Russell, Chick-fil-A, The YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Ms. Lani Wong of the National Association of Chinese Americans, The Outlook Community Church, Jones Day, Troutman Pepper, Emory University, The John and Lilian Lewis Foundation, The Vivian Family, Coleman Vivian, and Basic Diversity.
Sponsorship participation information and ticket sales can be found at http://ctovma.org/events
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