Salute to The HistoryMakers (Washington, D.C. 2004)

On Friday, April 30, 2004, over 100 HistoryMakers, their guests and others attended The Washington, D.C. Salute to The HistoryMakers, held in the International Ballroom of the Washington Hilton. HistoryMaker, well-known lawyer and civic leader Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., served as event chair for the evening.

The Washington, D.C. Salute to The HistoryMakers served as the official launch of The HistoryMakers Washington, D.C./Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, where Amy Billingsley serves as the Regional Coordinator. As with the Chicago Salute, the area HistoryMakers were given The HistoryMakers award, designed by renowned sculptor Preston Jackson. McDonald’s Corporation underwrote the awards.

ABC-7’s Maureen Bunyan and The Washington Times’ Deborah Simmons served as Mistresses of Ceremonies for the evening and the Reverend Barbara Williams-Skinner said grace. Throughout the reception and after dinner, video clips of area HistoryMakers were played, and singer Everett Greene and his trio entertained the audience. Julieanna Richardson, Founder & Executive Director of The HistoryMakers, spoke of the importance of preserving oral histories for future generations. Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., spoke of his pride in being named a HistoryMaker, and attorney and HistoryMakers board member Antoinette Cook Bush emphasized the importance of preserving this valuable history.