Tickets Still Available for OMA Unity Banquet and Scholarship Benefit

Tickets are still available for the sixth annual Unity Banquet and Scholarship Benefit, which will be held this Friday, April 13, at 5 p.m. in the Union Ballroom. Because of the event’s popularity, it was moved to a larger venue to accommodate more seating—approximately 300 people are expected to attend.

This year’s event will honor the late Derrick Bell, a 1952 graduate of McAnulty College, who died last October at age 80. A renowned scholar, teacher and activist, Bell was the first tenured African-American professor at Harvard Law School and the first African- American dean of the University of Oregon School of Law. His casebook, Race, Racism and American Law, is used in law schools across the nation.

“We are excited about the opportunity to pay tribute to one of our own, Derrick Bell, who was not only a Duquesne alum, but a native of Pittsburgh’s Hill District,” explained Dr. Rahmon Hart, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “I can only imagine how much the Duquesne mission inspired and influenced him. Professor Bell was a courageous leader who didn’t hesitate to speak his mind and address the many inequities that exist within ‘the Academy’ and the broader society.”

Patricia J. Williams, the James L. Dohr Professor of Law at the Columbia University School of Law and a columnist for The Nation, will deliver the keynote address and pay tribute to Bell.

“Given the tense political and racial climate that we are currently in, an evening that focuses on social justice and unity is particularly timely,” Hart added.

The Unity Banquet was established to build a sense of community on campus and to recognize a select group of students for their academic achievements and leadership skills, particularly in initiatives that promote unity.

In addition, seven students will be honored at this year’s banquet:

  • Eva Diodati, a junior theatre arts major
  • Charquinta McCray, a political science and forensic humanities major
  • Liana Verzella, a senior majoring in health management systems
  • Valone Brown, a senior political science major
  • Carroline Lobo, a senior pharmacy student
  • Terence Rice, a junior studying international relations, history and Mandarin Chinese
  • Ciarra Lewis, a sophomore early childhood education major.

Tickets for the Unity Banquet and Scholarship Benefit, presented by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, can be purchased via credit card or check. Cost is $45 per person and includes dinner. Proceeds provide scholarship funds to Duquesne University students.