Tompkins County Public Library

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Library to Celebrate Black History Month With Program on Leadership

The Tompkins County Public Library will celebrate Black History Month with “Why We Lead,” a community conversation featuring City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, Aloja Airewele, Marcia Fort and Millicent Clarke-Maynard Saturday, February 18 at 2:00 PM in the Ezra Cornell Reading Room.

Facilitated by Eric Acree, director of Cornell University’s Africana Library, “Why We Lead” will explore what it means to be a community leader and offer an informal and interactive discussion on the people, events and personal circumstances that lead Myrick, Airewele, Fort and Clarke-Maynard to pursue careers in public service.

Each of the featured participants brings a unique perspective on leadership based on their upbringings and professional achievements:

City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick--Raised in Earlville, NY by his single mother and grandparents, Myrick, 24, became Ithaca’s youngest mayor and the City’s first mayor of African-American heritage in 2012. A graduate of Cornell University, Myrick’s foray into public service began at age 20 when he was elected to Ithaca’s Common Council.

Aloja Airewele--Born and raised in Nigeria, Airewele is a trained physician and worked in family medicine before immigrating with his family to the United States in 1997. He currently serves as a case manager for the American Red Cross and works for Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton. He also serves as vice president of the Library’s Board of Trustees.

Marcia Fort—An Ithaca native, Fort is a much-heralded advocate for local youth. As director of the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, she has touched and shaped the lives of countless young people. Fort also graciously offers her time and experience to the boards of several local organizations.

Millicent Clarke-Maynard—A veteran educator with the Ithaca City School District, Clarke-Maynard currently teaches at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School. Clarke-Maynard is a New York African Studies Association Distinguished Teacher Award winner. She dedicates much of her time to organizations supporting the academic and cultural development of young people and has served on the board of the Southside Community Center and the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission.

This program is free and open to the public and is being sponsored by TCPL, the MLK Community Build and Cornell University’s Africana Library. Refreshments will be available.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

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