The Celebrate Maya Project is especially excited to announce that Minnijean Brown Trickey is our first recipient of the Celebrate! Maya Project Social Justice Award .. Minnijean Brown Trickey has lifelong experience and commitment to peacemaking; environmental issues; developing youth leadership; anti racism education and training; cross-cultural communication; gender and social justice advocacy. She is one of the nine African American students, commonly known as the Little Rock Nine who collectively resisted opposition to the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in 1957, with protection from federal troops. 

If you missed our Sisterhood & Social Justice Celebration on April 29, 2021, in partnership with the Antioch College Coretta Scott King Center, and in honor of peace and justice advocates Coretta Scott King and Maya Angelou, we hope you will check it out!

Special Thank You to Shadia Alvarez, Director of the Coretta Scott King Center for Social Justice; President Emeritus of Antioch College Tom Manley, Celebrate! Maya Project board member Adele Holmes, and to the award-winning young poets Jamee and Norel McAdoo.

Celebrate! Maya Project Grateful for a Successful Ending to the 2021 School Year

Once again, we found ourselves in awe of the depth of talent and intellect in our high schools around the state! 2021 marks our sixth annual scholarship awards season and we are so excited to announce this year’s academic and poetry winners. A huge Thank You to a special gift from the Don and Audrey Evans family fund, whose gift allows us to add an additional Lafayette County Scholars Award. Since 2014, we have awarded scholarships to deserving scholars and poetry awards to emerging Maya Poets. This year, we will award two $1000 scholarships to our partner school, and two $1000 scholarships to Lafayette County High School in Stamps, Arkansas –in honor of the village that nurtured young Maya Angelou, and the place she called home during her childhood.  

Celebrate! Maya President Janis F. Kearney.

A heartfelt Thank You, to the villages within the communities in which we work. The Celebrate! Maya Project’s success has always depended on the villages that nurture and help lift the children within those communities. Thank you to the community leadership, including Mayor Brenda Davis of Stamps; Lake Village Mayor Joe Dan Yee - both of whom have been so supportive of our work in your communities. We also thank school leaders, Superintendent Billy Adams of Lakeside School District, and Superintendent Robert T. Edwards at Lafayette County School District, Principals Linda Armour of Lakeside High School, and Craig Mahar, at Lafayette County High School, and last, but not least, to the school counselors, Marcia Teague Brigham, of Lafayette County High School, and Helen Scott at Lakeside High School. We could not do it without you, and we excitedly look forward to next year!

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