On February 23, the University held the Black American Experience in Brookland, which was part of the Black History Month Celebration at The Catholic University of America. The series of events were sponsored by the CommUNITY Committee, Staff Leadership Council, Center for Cultural Engagement, and Department of History under the direction of the Sr. Thea Bowman Implementation and Coordination Team. The events opened with a Mass at the St. Vincent de Paul Chapel with celebrant Monsignor Raymond East. The Mass was followed by an opening reception in the Great Room of the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center, which was followed by a panel discussion. The evening closed with the Community Builder Awards.
Professor Stephen A. West, Associate Professor, Department of History, opened the panel discussion with a welcome and introduction of the panelists. Following West's introduction, each panelist spoke about their individual experiences. The panel discussion explored the history, experience, and storied contributions of the Black American community of Brookland, as well as highlight The Catholic University of America’s connection to the Brookland neighborhood and the Black American community. A panel of longtime Brookland residents were assembled to share their personal and family stories of life in Brookland, including its evolution from a segregated community to becoming one of the more integrated communities of Washington, D.C. After their individual presentations, the panelists took questions from the audience.
The panelists included:
- John J. Feeley Jr., Deacon at The Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Author (with Rosie Dempsey), Images of America: Brookland
- Rohulamin Quander, Ret. Administrative Law Judge, Author, The Quanders: Since 1684 an Enduring African American Legacy
- Carmen Torruella-Quander, Artist/Curator
- Dr. Sylvia Washington Ba, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Trinity Washington University (formerly Trinity College)
Following the panel discussion, Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick, the 16th President of The Catholic University of America, took the stage to introduce and present the recipients of the Community Builder Awards, Lynné Gray and Joe Fisher (bios below). Following the award presentations, Professor Veryl Miles thanked everyone for attending and also acknowledged all those that helped put the event together.
Ms. Lynné Gray
Sr. Thea Bowman Community Builder Award Recipient
Ms. Lynné Gray is an accomplished pedagogue, a talented pianist and vocal coach, and a thoughtful liturgist. Most importantly, she is a welcoming, inclusive, and caring mentor and leader, supporting and building communities in the city and local Church. A two-time alumna of The Catholic University of America (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Master of Music in Piano Performance), Gray is also an adult Catholic convert who is committed to her faith and her communities.
After attending Catholic University, Gray went on to develop young musicians as a faculty member of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she is a loved and respected teacher and mentor. She was recognized as the Distinguished Music Educator of the Year from Yale University School of Music in 2007 for her remarkable work in music education.
Gray also serves as the Director of Music Ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in the Brookland neighborhood in Washington, D.C., where she leads the choir and cultivates a community focused on music ministry for the parish. As St. Anthony’s is the parish church of the University, many students from the University have been welcomed by her into the Church community, and she continues to support student musicians at the University by providing opportunities for them to serve in liturgical music at St. Anthony’s, as well as participating in student recitals.
The Diocese has also benefited from her service as the Director of the Archdiocese of Washington Gospel Mass Choir, who sang for Pope Benedict XVI in Washington during 2008 at a Papal Mass.
The University would like to thank Lynné Gray for her leadership in helping to build a more welcoming and inclusive local community, as well as for the impact she has made in our student community.
Mr. Joe Fisher
Staff Leadership Council Community Builder Award
Mr. Joe Fisher, who recently retired from Catholic University, where he served for 41 years as cross country and track and field coach, is an outstanding example of a University staff member who exemplifies the values and mission of the University and has worked to build a welcoming and inclusive community in the local area.
Fisher’s impressive coaching career, following his own student-athlete career at Catholic University is a testament to his ability to lead and mentor students. His community of athletes has sustained several successful teams. This includes cross country teams that won the Mason-Dixon Conference cross country championship, two NCAA South/Southeast Region titles, and a Landmark Conference championship. In 2012 he was awarded Landmark Conference Coach of the Year. He was also named Coach of the Year four times by the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC).
His community-building did not stop at the end of the track. Fisher also taught in public school at Howard County for 35 years, and founded the non-profit First Generation College Bound, which has worked to ensure that more than 2000 low-income students could have the opportunity to go to college. He has received many local accolades, including Washingtonian Magazine’s Washingtonian of the Year, Maryland State Teachers Association’s Outstanding Achievement in Community Involvement, Maryland State Education Association’s Closing the Achievement Gap Award, and Bowie State University’s Living Spirit Award. He is also a Prince George’s Community Foundation Leaders Engaged in Achieving Development (LEAD) program fellow, and is the recipient of several Catholic University Awards, including the Department of Athletics’ Smathers Award, and the Alumni Association’s award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Education.
The University would like to thank Joe Fisher for his leadership in helping to build a more welcoming and inclusive local community, as well as for the impact he has made in our student and staff community.