Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity scholarship winner, Bryce Williams, has been on the road to success since he won the 1989 Heinz Baby of the Year award.

Seventeen year old Bryce received a $5,000 scholarship at the annual Rite of Passage ceremony. Bryce attends Warwick Academy International Baccalaureate programme. He is a well rounded student and excels in sports, music and academics. Bryce mentors students at Gilbert Institute as a part of the Youth Net programme. For the last two years Bryce has been a Candy Striper. On June 11 he was named Head Candy Striper for 2005.   more >>

The “guests” were 15 Parkside Middle School girls who are members of HER-O, or Helping to Educate Through Relationships and Opportunities. The Omicron Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. sponsors the guidance and mentorship group for girls at 10 local middle schools. Nominated by their teachers, the young members attend group functions, such as the tea party and career development meetings, as a means of bettering their behavior, academic performance and self-worth.

The U.S. Department of Justice provides a grant for $3,000 to $4,000 annually to support the program, according to Jean Belton, AKA coordinator for Parkside’s HER-O chapter.  more >>

Slaves in Galvaston, Texas, were nearly three years late being notified that they were free on June 19, 1865. The historical event symbolizes the end of slavery for African-American communities nationwide.

The second annual Juneteenth African-American Heritage Festival, to be held Saturday and Sunday, is not only a time of remembrance but also a festival of home cooking, live musical performances, arts and crafts, games and more.

"It's not just for African-Americans," said Wavie Gibson, retired Salisbury University professor of English and linguistics. "It's a great opportunity to share with the larger community, who we are, what we're about, what we struggle for (and) what we strive for."   more >>

A new community coalition will be hosting its first conference Saturday in an effort to focus attention on the issues facing black men in Columbia.

Nathan Stephens, spokesman for The Black Men United Coalition, said the meeting, The State of Black Men in Columbia, will address the sense of discrimination he feels is pervasive in the community.

The coalition and the conference began taking shape after a November event sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta, a black sorority at MU. The meeting centered on black males and their role in the family and community.  more >>