| MEDIA CONTACT: Stacia
Smith
561-297-2971, ssmith@fau.edu
FAU
Professor Receives African-American Achiever Award BOCA
RATON, FL (March 12, 2004) - Kitty Oliver, a professor at Florida Atlantic
University, received JM Family Enterprises' African-American Achiever Award at
the 12th Annual African-American Achievers' Award Ceremony held at the Broward
County Convention Center on March 11 in Ft. Lauderdale. Oliver was one of five
honored with this award that recognizes community leaders for their outstanding
contributions toward enriching the quality of life in South Florida.
"Kitty's
exemplary work on oral history enriches the lives of all it touches," said
William A. Covino, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
at FAU.
Oliver, a veteran South Florida
journalist and author, has dedicated her life to opening up avenues of dialogue
to discuss race and its effects on the American experience. She spent many years
gathering oral histories in African-American neighborhoods in southeast Florida.
Her work resulted in the publication of Voices of America: Race and Change in
Hollywood, Florida, and the recording of a TV documentary on the same subject.
Her books are currently used in Florida's public schools to promote tolerance
and understanding across racial and cultural lines.
As
professor and writer-in-residence in FAU's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts
and Letters, Oliver teaches young people to recall and write about their roots.
She recently initiated the "Lift Every Voice" project at the African-American
Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, where she teaches community
members how to collect, write and preserve their own oral histories. Oliver also
presents a variety of entertaining musical and educational programs for student
and adult audiences focusing on race relations, ethnic diversity issues, oral
history and writing.
The driving forces
behind Oliver's success are chronicled in her recent autobiography, Multicolored
Memories of a Black Southern Girl, where she describes her youth and her experiences
as a member of the University of Florida's first freshman class to include African-Americans.
She then went on to become one of the first black journalists with The Miami Herald.
To learn more about Oliver's work, go to www.kittyoliveronline.com.
- FAU
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