By Deborah Jacobs, CCMEC Fundraising Committee

Amidst of the wave of community activism throughout Central Brooklyn in the mid-60’s, the Ad Hoc Planning Committee, predecessor of what’s known today as the Community Council for Medgar Evers College, joined the struggle to create CUNY College No. 7, now known as Medgar Evers College.

The ancestral legacy of the “Council” is rich in terms of its composition and contributions to the creation, academic evolution and present status of Medgar Evers College as a beacon of educational success and achievement in the Central Brooklyn community.

So once again, we can offer praises and thanks to our Council President Katie Davis for leading this group of committed council members to a successful completion of our 2018 Annual Scholarship and Leadership Luncheon.

Thanks to our Scholarship Committee, chaired by Dr. Joan Tropnas, and the tireless work of Gloria Wilson, Associate Treasurer, the council raised money for scholarships from a combination of ticket, raffle and journal ad sales and annual standing awards such as the Lucille Rose Memorial, the Dr. Cecil Gloster Memorial and the Green–Chavis Scholarship Funds.

Our scholarship awardees were truly impressive this year. Youth Leadership Awards were given to two rising stars graduating from the Medgar Evers Preparatory High School and who also engaged in studies at the college. Codi-Ann Reid will be studying biomedical engineering at Harvard University and Dervin Johnson aerospace engineering at MIT this fall.

Medgar Evers College founder Job Mashariki and his presenter former Assemblyman and Councilman Al Vann reminded us of the history of their various struggles thereby emphasizing the importance of persistence in the face of ALL adversities. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten inspired the youth through his anecdotal remembrances of the perseverance of his awardee, Rev. Taharka Robinson.