Coretta Scott King Book Awards Celebration

Gala Daylong Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards

March 9, 2009

On Monday, March 9, 2009, the Oakland University (Rochester, MI) School of Education and Human Services, the Educational Resources Laboratory, and the Reading Language Arts Department sponsored a gala daylong celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Coretta Scott King award. Highlighting this event, Ashley Bryan—recipient of three CSK Awards and six Honor Awards—and Dr. Carole McCullough, chair of the 2010 CSK Jury, spoke to a packed house about the award and its significance. A university group, The Anonymous Quartet, opened the event with their rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson, then sang the three spirituals Bryan featured in his book, Let It Shine (Atheneum, 2007).

The day began with Ashley Bryan speaking with almost 500 first-, second-, and third-grade students from local schools. He also spent time discussing his art with a large contingent of doctoral, masters, and undergraduate students from Oakland University’s education program. They toured the exhibit of Bryan's art—with him as a guide—before joining the public reception. Bryan was honored by the state of Michigan with a testimonial from the state legislature.

The event was orchestrated by Ms Adelaide Phelps, ERL director and former CSK Jury member, Drs. Linda Pavonetti and Jim Cipielewski, and Ms Angie Schmucker.