The African Hall Subcommittee of the Springfield Museums will present the 20th annual Ubora Award and the 3rd annual Ahadi Youth Award at a ceremony on Saturday, September 17, at 6 pm, at the Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Quadrangle. Dr. Albert and Mrs. Geraldine Garner have been selected to receive the Ubora Award, and Bria Brantley will receive the Ahadi Award.

The Ubora Award, which means excellence in Swahili, is presented to an African-American who has made a significant contribution to the greater Springfield area. The Ahadi Youth Award, which means promise, is presented to an African-American young person who demonstrates strong character, leadership, academic achievement, and future potential.

Dr. and Mrs. Garner met in their senior year of high school in Washington, D.C.  After earning his Ph.D., Dr. Garner was hired as a research chemist by Monsanto Chemical Company, and the couple first came to Springfield in 1956. Dr. Garner became a vice president and membership chairman of the local NAACP chapter and served on the board of the Urban League. He also taught Sunday school at St. John’s Congregational Church, and Mrs. Garner was one of two women who started a nursery at the church.  

After five and a half years in Springfield, Dr. Garner was transferred to the Midwest. Upon the couple’s return to Springfield in 1984, they once again immersed themselves in serving the community. Dr. Garner received a Governor’s Community Builders Award for his leadership role in the adult literacy program of the Roland T. Heacock Center for Cultural Enrichment at St. John’s, and Mrs. Garner chaired the church’s Christian Education Committee. She also served on the board of the Springfield Council of Churches, and has been active with the Pioneer Valley Girl Scout Council.

Mrs. Garner’s volunteer work with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority led to the couple’s involvement with the Partnership in Math and Science (PIMS) program, a national initiative of the sorority. The Garners formed a local PIMS chapter with the goal of stressing the importance of math and science for African-American students. Mrs. Garner also joined the local coalition of the Mass. Dept. of Education’s Parent Involvement Program (PIP) and linked the PIMS and PIP programs in Springfield.  PIMS/PIP sponsored financial workshops for parents, science workshops for children, essay contests, and other activities.  The PIMS/PIP coalition of parents and schools also introduced the first National African-American Parent Involvement Day as an annual event held during Black History Month.

Bria Brantley, the Ahadi Youth Award winner, is a 2011 graduate of the MacDuffie School and is attending Brandeis University this fall. After overcoming some difficult years as a young child, Bria worked hard in school and received a MassMutual scholarship to MacDuffie. She was accepted into the National Honor Society in her sophomore year.

In addition to her academic achievements, Bria has actively volunteered in the community. She was a co-founder of Giving Ways to Enhance our Neighborhood which held backpack drives, donated school uniforms to those in need, and conducted food drives. She is member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority youth group, which also serves the needy. She belonged to the Key Club at school, and served food to the homeless at Loaves and Fishes.

In the summer of 2008, Bria was an assistant to a professor at Bay Path College, helping with the college’s summer program for young women interested in becoming entrepreneurs. In the summer of 2009 she worked for State Rep. Benjamin Swan, learning how to address constituents in need of help. The following summer she worked in the Mayor’s Office, assisting his chief of staff.  In 2010 Bria was awarded the Public Health Youth Achievement Award for outstanding achievement in academics and community-based volunteerism.

The Ubora and Ahadi Award presentations will be followed by a reception at the Springfield Science Museum across the Quadrangle.    

The Springfield Museums are located on the Quadrangle at 21 Edwards Street in Springfield.  Free, secure onsite parking is available.

Admission to the event is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12.  For information or advance reservations, call 413.263.6800, ext. 392.