On, December 14, 2020 RAAA announced the 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees during a virtual meeting with the RAAA membership. Nine outstanding Rutgers University alumni were welcomed into the Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance (RAAA), Inc. 2020 Hall of Fame.
Earlier in the year, a decision was made to reschedule the Hall of Fame Ceremony for Saturday, October 2, 2021 due to the unknowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Brunswick Hyatt Regency Hotel graciously allowed us to amend the contract to 2021. We felt it most important and appropriate to continue our long standing tradition of celebration and acknowledgement by recognizing a 2020 Hall of Fame Induction Class even if we could not physically come together to celebrate the occasion. The 2020 Hall of Fame Class was appropriately themed “Nevertheless” – no further explanation needed! When COVID related restrictions are more relaxed, we will celebrate this Induction Class in a similar manner of all others.
The purpose of Hall of Fame Ceremony is to both celebrate and honor the accomplishments of Rutgers University graduates who have distinguished themselves by contributions they have made to the community, to the University or in their fields of endeavor; by the leadership they have exhibited; and by the general benefits to the larger society resulting from their efforts. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Paul Robeson Scholarship Fund through the Rutgers University Foundation.
Since its inception, RAAA Hall of Fame has honored over 95 individuals primarily of African descent representing many corners of the world to include the United States, Anguilla, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Vincent, Panama, Guyana, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, and Nigeria. Please visit our website for the unabridged biographies of past and present Hall of Fame Inductees.
Nominations for the 2021 RAAA Hall of Fame will open in January 2021. The deadline for the 2021 Hall of Fame Induction is April 30, 2021. The 18th RAAA Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2021 in the Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
2020 Hall of Fame Inductees:
- Vesta Godwin Clark
- Dr. Leah Hollis
- Frank Hundley
- Marshall Jones, III
- Dr. Terri Lassiter
- Anton Lendor
- Dr. Beverly Lynn
- Julius Robinson
- Dr. Claudia Schrader
