Evanston Township High School hosted the 23rd annual African-American Youth Achievement (AAYA) Awards to honor 37 African-American students from Evanston/Skokie public schools. These students were recognized on February 21, 2020, for their daily actions that pay homage to the visions and legacy of African-American pioneers.
The AAYA program is part of a Black History Month initiative and was sponsored by the Ivy Pearl Foundation, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Chi Omega Chapter, Byline Bank, Chessmen, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Evanston North Shore Alumnae Chapter, Evanston Community Bank & Trust, Family Focus Evanston, The Joe “Butch” Martin Fund, McGaw YMCA, NAACP, Northwestern University, Omega Pi Zeta of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Hecky Powell, Shorefront, Gerri Sizemore, Soul Creations, Mary Wilkerson and in conjunction with Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202.
2020 High School AAYA Recipients
Evanston Township High School: Darrion Coleman, Nemili Cooper, Trinity Jenkins, Soumia Kaltimi, Olu Logan, Grey Miller, Ba’niah Robinson and Celister Wright
2020 Middle School AAYA Recipients
Chute: Gabrielle Burnett and James Edward Green
Haven: Heaven Adams and Joseph Erner
Nichols: Makani Brocks and Damarion Timberlake
2020 Elementary and Magnet School AAYA Recipients
Bessie Rhodes: Josiah Hardy and Kara Taylor
Dawes: Ingrid Sylvestre
Dewey: Aneeya McCoy and Nicholas Williams
King Arts: Leela Gaede and Jacques Philippe
Kingsley: Zora Copeland and Kamden White
Lincoln: Makeda Hausman and Welcome Kaplan-Block
Lincolnwood: Nelson Mbangamoh and Ebony Turner
Oakton: Demarco Powell and Lyric Rogers
Orrington: Nathanael Beaubrun and Trinity Printis
Walker: Dillon Pompey and Vivian Solomon
Washington: Alexis Simon and Julian Travis
Willard: Sophia Asante and Darren Whitehead
As part of the AAYA program, the Living Legend-Trailblazer Award honors African-American Evanstonians for their leadership and community contributions that encourage and inspire African-American youth. The 2020 recipient of the Living Legend-Trailblazer Award is Rose Johnson.
