Associated Black Charities 22nd Annual Black History Maker Awards At The Marriott Marquis Hotel NY NY
Feb 6th 2008

NEW YORK, February 6, 2008 – Ambassador Andrew J. Young, Jr. legendary civil rights leader activist and former Congressman and UN Ambassador, and Dr. Mark E. Dean, IBM vice president and holder of key patents for the personal computer, were selected by Associated Black Charities as 2008 recipients of the organization’s 22nd annual Black History Makers Awards.

The honors were presented on Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at the Associated Black Charities 22nd annual Black History Makers Awards black-tie dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, New York. The star-studded event, held in conjunction with Black History Month, was hosted for the second year in a row by Russ Mitchell, anchor, CBS Sunday Evening News and CBS Morning News, who conducted special interviews with Ambassador Young and Dr. Dean.

Under the dinner theme “Pathway for Better Healthcare,” the evening also served as a fundraiser in support of KITA (Knowledge, Insurance, Treatment and Advocacy), a major strategic initiative from Associated Black Charities to help provide access to and delivery of quality healthcare for African-Americans in New York City, and to continue the organization’s support of health and human services for the disadvantaged throughout the five boroughs.

Associated Black Charities’ annual Black History Makers Award pays tribute to and honors extraordinarily outstanding African Americans and persons of African descent whose exemplary character, professional achievements and personal service have made an enduring imprint and who serve as a model for emulation by young African Americans. Past honorees include notables such as United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Secretary of State General Colin L. Powell, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Justice Thurgood Marshall, Maya Angelou, Arthur Ashe and others.

Andrew J. Young, Jr., founding principal/chairman, GoodWorks International
Empowered by his love for humanity, Andrew J. Young, Jr. has committed his life as a politician, civil rights leader and a religious crusader to rid society of injustices and poverty.

He went on to be elected to three terms as a United State Congressman from Georgia before being appointed as the United States’ Ambassador to the United Nations. Subsequently, he served two terms as the Mayor of Atlanta, and assumed a leadership position as co-chairman of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Ambassador Young as chairman of the $100 million Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund.

Today, Ambassador Young is a founding principal and chairman of Good Works International, where he continues his long-held mission of facilitating economic development in the Caribbean and in Africa. He serves on the board of directors of numerous businesses and organizations, including Atlanta Market Center, Atlanta Falcons, Divers pack, Council on Foreign Relations, Barrick Gold, The Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Independent News and Media, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation and The United Nations Foundation. He also serves on the advisory board of Delta Airlines.

Ambassador Young’s Black History Maker Award was presented by Jack Kemp, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 18-year member of the House of Representatives from New York, presidential and vice presidential candidate, and eight-time all-pro quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.

Dr. Mark E. Dean, vice president, IBM Almaden Research Center
Dr. Mark E. Dean is an IBM Fellow, vice president of the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, and senior location executive for Silicon Valley. He oversees more than 400 scientists and engineers doing exploratory and applied research in various hardware, software and services areas. An engineer by training, Dr. Dean has over 28 years with IBM, and been central to the design of a wide range of IBM products.

During his career, Dr. Dean has held numerous positions in the areas of research and applications, computer system hardware architecture and design. He has developed all types of computer systems, from embedded systems to supercomputers, including testing of the first gigahertz CMOS microprocessor, and establishing the team that developed the Blue Gene supercomputer. He was also chief engineer for the development of the IBM PC/AT, ISA systems bus, PS/2 Model 70 & 80, the Color Graphics Adapter in the original IBM PC.

Perhaps most impressively, Dr. Dean holds three of the nine patents for the original IBM PC. One invention – the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) "bus," which permitted add-on devices like the keyboard, disk drives and printers to be connected to the motherboard – would earn Dr. Dean and colleague Dennis Moeller election to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Dr. Dean’s Black History Maker Award was presented by Dr. Frank Douglas, former MIT professor and executive director of the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation in the MIT Schools of Management, Engineering, and Science. Dr. Douglas is a world renowned innovator in pharmaceutical research and development.

Associated Black Charities' mission mission is to promote and facilitate access and delivery of quality health care and supporting human services to less fortunate African Americans and others throughout New York City. In realizing its mission, Associated Black Charities seeks to elevate the quality of African American human capital. The underlying objective of the mission is to enable the acquisition of the full range of social, educational, and economic capabilities necessary for a productive and self-sufficient life in society. is to promote the delivery of quality health and human services to New York's African-American community. Founded in 1982, the organization is a federation of 14 community-based health and human service agencies in the five boroughs of New York. The primary purpose and task of the organization is fundraising on behalf of its member agencies. In addition to financial assistance, Associated Black Charities secures management and technical assistance for its members. The organization also assists member agencies to educate and promote constructive dialogue among public and corporate officials and the community at large through organizing and convening seminars and conferences, publication of treaties, and other forums about health and human service issues affecting the community.

We at liberty News Online like to thank Mr Rayton Gerald,President Associated Black Charities for his kind invite and Mr Jack Mello the publicist of the event for helping set up key interviews for this article.

For more information about Associated Black Charities, visit www.assocblackcharities.org.














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