Celebrate the Maya Way
Our Annual Fundraiser at The National Theatre was a huge success!
Continue to Celebrate the Maya Way ââ¬ÂŠ Support the Maya Angelou Schools today!
Jazz, rap and hip hop singers joined our talented students in honoring Dr. Maya Angelou at The National Theatre last night. Dr. Angelou said to the more than 1,600 supporters in attendance, ââ¬ÅIââ¬â¢m blessed that the men and women who put their effort, their energies, their incredible intelligence, into keeping these schools alive are doing it in my name. Iââ¬â¢m blessed and Iââ¬â¢m grateful.ââ¬Â
Featured celebrity performers included, our host Grammy award-winning rapper Common, Grammy award-winning jazz vocalist Patti Austin, harp master Jeff Majors, R&B singer Lilââ¬â¢ Mo, the soul duo Kindred, and Actor and Musician Big G performing with D.C.-based band, Black Alley. We are pleased, too, that so many of our students had the chance to shine in their own right on the stage!
“It’s really a no brainer. If Dr. Maya Angelou says come, you come,” said Kindred Songstress Aja Graydon.
All of these artists professed deep respect for Dr. Angelou’s poetry and activism, but they also love the woman herself. In turn, Dr. Angelou says she sees younger generations like her grandchildren, and she hopes the wisdom she shares with them will be passed along.
In remarks to the press before the theatre-style stage show, our executive director Dr. Lucretia Murphy said, “This really is a transformative school and it gives young people opportunities that they never even wanted to dream for themselves.”
During the event, the See Forever Foundation and Maya Angelou Schools also presented its annual Maya Waya Awards to local leaders as well as student and staff heroes/sheroes from each of its four campuses. This year’s honorees included, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Howard University, and See Forever Foundation Board Member Jack Davies, founder and former president of AOL International.
As Dr. Angelou shared during our event, “As you get a blessing give it away. Absolutely! When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”
Enjoy scenes from our 15th Annual Fundraiser, Celebrate the Maya Way, and, remember, you can support our transformative programs and services for at-promise youth every day by making a tax-deductible contribution to the See Forever Foundation and Maya Angelou Schools. With your support, Dr. Maya Angelouââ¬â¢s scholars can transform their lives and move onto postsecondary success.