37th Annual Julian A. Taylor Awards Dinner

 The Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee Announces $5,000 JAT Award Winner

ANSONIA - The Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee announces 2019 Ansonia High School graduate, Ekettee Weamie, is the recipient of the 2019 $5,000 Julian A. Taylor Scholarship.  She will be attending Gateway Community College where she will major in radiography. She aspires to be a Radiographer. In addition to maintaining her academics Ekettee was active in the National Honor Society, Student Government, Human Relations Club, National Art Society and After School Chorus.

The $5,000 Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Award is presented to the highest ranking African American Senior with an 85 or above average going to a University/College. In addition, 21 African American students in grades 3 to 11 attending Ansonia Public Schools will receive a $100 JAT Scholars award. The Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Fund was established in 1982 to honor and continue the ideals of the late Rev. Dr. Julian A. Taylor, former Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church.  

The event speaker will be the 2019 State of CT. Teacher of the Year, Sheena Graham. Sheena is a native of Ansonia and a graduate of Ansonia High School.  She is currently a Music Teacher at Warding High School, Bridgeport.  She is in her 36 year of teaching in the Bridgeport Public School District.

Graham has led workshops in music literacy, connecting parents and teachers, and music in ministry. Graham’s recording and writing experience is extensive. Her original works have been performed locally and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (“We Can If We Believe,” March of 2018,) and the White House (“My Destiny,” February 2014) (“It’s Not How You Start,” May 2016). Topics include dealing with teen years, coping with tragedy, breast cancer and not allowing our circumstances to define our destiny.

Superior Court Judge Erika Tindall, will be the event M.C.  Attorney Tindall, was appointed in 2014 by Gov. Malloy to the bench where she serves in Hartford, CT.

Awards will be presented at the J.A.T. 37^th Annual Awards Dinner, on July 14, 2019 2:00 p.m, at the Grassy Hill Country Club, 441 Clark Lane, Orange CT.  Ticket donations are $40 for adults and $20 for children.  To purchase tickets please call 203.645.9635. The public is invited.

Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Event Sunday July 10

On Sunday, July 10, 2016, the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship committee will present 2016 Ansonia High School graduate Adreeana  Cox the $5,000 Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Award at its annual award dinner.  The award is given to the highest-ranking African American graduating senior in Ansonia High School accepted by a four- year college/university. Adreeana will attend The University of Tampa in the fall.

The Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Fund was established in 1981 to honor and continue the ideals of the late Rev. Dr. Julian A. Taylor, former Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church.  Like the late Dr. Taylor, the committee endeavors to motivate and to foster the importance of education to African American Students in the Ansonia Public School District.  Believing in the importance of reaching students as early as possible in addition to the $5,000 award, 22 students in grades three through eleven will be honored as Julian A. Taylor (J.A.T.) Scholars receiving awards of $100.00 each.  Over the past 34 years, the committee has provided $173,000 in scholarships.

 

J.A.T. Scholar award winners are: Mead School students—Trioni Wright, Jasmine Duffus, April Walfall, Symone Finney, Felicity O’Brien, Marisol Laureano, Louis Gripper, Brianah Akins; Prendergast School –- Jada Sampson,  Kierra Thomas, Eniyah Lawrence, Jaden Napoleon, Adalee Evans, Maqila Mosley-Williams, Xavier Coverson-Twyne, Sa’ray Allen; Ansonia Middle School –-Maliqua Mosely-Williams, Hawa Camara, Jordan-Sahara Credle;  Ansonia High School – Ekettee Weamie, Stephanie Umeugo, and Berlove Lelain.

 

The event Guest Speaker is Superior Court Judge Erika Tindill. Judge Tindill currently sits in the Stamford-Norwalk Judicial District.  She served in the Malloy administration as Chair of the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles from 2011 -2014. She held the position of Executive Director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Deputy Director for New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc. 

 

The award dinner will be held on Sunday, July 10, 2016 at Grassy Hill Country Club, 441 Clark Lane, Orange CT at 2:00 P.M.  Ticket Donations are $35.00. For ticket information please contact Surether Belton at (203) 735-1470 or Diane Stroman at (203) 645-9635. 

Book highlights remarkable lives of Valley natives

On Saturday my husband and I attended a reception marking the release of a new book, "Notable Valley African Americans."

The festive atmosphere we encountered at Molto Bene Italian Kitchen at John J. Sullivan's restaurant in Ansonia was certainly contagious.
The group celebrating the book release included those who are featured in the book as well as their friends and family members.
 

The book offers insight into accomplished Valley natives.

The 112-page, soft-cover publication is the brainchild of Ansonia resident Elezena Anderson. She deserves plaudits for her dedication as she turned her concept into a reality.

Anderson humbly said everyone involved is an "author," since the book contains a collection of biographies and photos submitted by the honorees or their families.
Individuals featured in the book include clergy members, doctors, nurses, postal workers, teachers and politicians, to list just a few.

Anderson also told me she was relieved that it was done. That's certainly understandable, since the project took several years to complete. The project was funded through a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.  

Anderson, a founding member of the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee, said she will donate all profits from sale of the $10 book to the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Fund.

Taylor was pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Ansonia for 42 years. After he died at age 79 in 1981 the scholarship fund was established in his memory.

Each July the top-ranking black students from Ansonia High School receive college scholarships at an awards dinner. High-achieving students in grades three through 11 in Ansonia also receive cash awards at the event.

Below is a photo of those who were honored at the reception for their work behind-the-scenes on the project. 

Pictured from left are Evelyn Lindsey, Jackie Blount, Sheena Graham, Wilhelmenia Christon, Patricia Reynolds, Pamela Potter, Elezena Anderson, and Diane Stroman. Photo by Patricia Villers

Anderson said copies of the book will be donated to: Ansonia High School, Ansonia Middle School, Emmett O’Brien Technical High School in Ansonia, Ansonia Library, and the Derby Historical Society in Ansonia.

To purchase a copy contact Anderson, 203-735-0421. It is well worth the $10 pricetag, and the money benefits a good cause.

Taylor's daughter to address scholarship dinner Sunday

ANSONIA - Jewelle Taylor Gibbs, author, clinical psychologist and Connecticut native will be the keynote speaker at the annual Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Dinner.
Gibbs is the author of four books as well as numerous publications focusing on at-risk youth and low-income families.
She has received numerous awards for her scholarly work and community activities, including recognition from Radcliffe College, NAACP-Legal Defense Fund, National Black Leadership Forum and a U.S. Congressional Citation.
She is also listed in many Who’s Who publications and is featured in the Black History Makers Hall of Fame.
Gibbs has a deeply personal connection with the scholarship program.  She is the daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Julian A. Taylor, in whose name the annual awards are provided to Ansonia students.

The prestigious award dinner will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at John J. Sullivan’s Restaurant, 557 Wakelee Ave. Ticket donations are $35. For information or questions about the program, contact Elezena Anderson, 203-735-0421, or Evelyn Lindsey, 203-735-0645.


The above was provided by Diane Stroman, a member of the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee.

Kudos go out to Ansonia scholarship winner

 AHS graduate heading to art school in fall

Stephanie Lynn Duncan

ANSONIA  - Stephanie Lynn Duncan was ranked in the top 12 percent of her class at Ansonia High School. She has been receiving Julian A. Taylor scholarship awards since fifth grade.

She will receive the top honor, a $5,000 scholarship, at an annual dinner July 8 at John J. Sullivan's restaurant. 



Duncan was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y. to Prescina Cameron and Hezekiah Duncan. She is the second of four children; she has two sisters and a brother.


Duncan has received numerous awards such as the Charger Pride Award, Mary Haussler Sowkeep Memorial Art Award, John Quake Memorial scholarship, and the Jay Amico Artistic Memorial Scholarship.

She is a CAPT Scholar in Reading, Writing, and Science, and has been featured in the Congressional Art  Competition. She has volunteered for My Sister’s Place, Birmingham Group Health Services, Inc., and Toys For Tots.

While at AHS she participated in Student Ambassadors, Art Club, Cooperative International Studies Program, Newspaper Club, Student Employment Experience, and Screen Printing Group.

Duncan will attend Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She has not yet decided on a major in her chosen field of art.

I congratulate Duncan on her achievements and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.





The above biographical information was contributed by Ansonia resident Diane Stroman, a member of the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee.