Nominations for the Denver Public Library’s 2024 Juanita Gray Community Service Awards are now open. The library also seeks nominations for 2024 inductees into the biannual Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame. Do you know of a Black community member who is setting an exemplary example of leadership and civic engagement in the community? You have until the end of day Monday, November 27, 2023. to submit your nominations.
Juanita Gray was a former library staff member and community advocate who helped start the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame in 1973. The Juanita Gray Community Service Awards honors Black folks who make outstanding contributions to the community and who exemplify the ideals and spirit represented by Gray’s commitment to the Denver community. The ceremony also recognizes Black youth between the ages of 14 and 18 with the Community Service Youth Award. The award includes a scholarship for their positive impact on the community.
A community committee consisting of Library Commissioners, community members, past awardees, and library staff reviews the submissions. The committee then meets to select official nominees and winners of the awards and Hall of Fame inductees. Check out previous award winners here and all Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame inductees here.
When submitting for the Juanita Gray Community Service Awards, keep this criteria in mind:
- Black/of African descent, a Colorado resident, and a positive role model.
- A user and/or supporter of the Denver Public Library.
- A person who has taken an active role in the community.
- A person who has made a contribution above and beyond paid employment.
- A person who has made an impact in the community, state, and/or USA.
- The person must be living.
When submitting for inductees into the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame, keep this criteria in mind:
- Black/of African descent, a Colorado resident, and a positive role model.
- Be a pioneer in their field or have made a major impact in the city, state, country, or the world at large.
The ceremony is held in February as part of Black History Month and will take place at Denver Public Library’s newly renovated Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library on Saturday, February 3, 2024. The ceremony is open to the public and are encouraged to attend!
