Senator Vincent Hughes, Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Sara Lomax Reese, president and CEO of 900AM-WURD; Marcus Allen, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters; and Mark Lapreziosa, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Arcadia, received Sankofa Legacy Awards for excellence in community service at the Black Male Development Symposium’s Downtown Motown Fundraising Gala on Saturday, May 21.

Founded by Dr. Doreen Loury, assistant professor of sociology and director of Pan-African Studies, BMDS provides academic, social, and cultural opportunities to black males, their families, and their communities. This year, more than 200 guests and alumni celebrated a “Decade of Supreme Success” by raising funds to support scholarships for students to attend the 2017 symposium.

Additional recipients of the Sankofa Legacy Award included Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller, senior pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church; Jeff Brown, president and CEO of Brown’s Superstore, Inc.; Donna Frisby-Greenwood, president and CEO of The Fund of The School District of Philadelphia; Michele Lawrence, senior VP and area president of Philadelphia Community Bank; and E. Steven Collins (posthumous), local radio legend and civic leader.