The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga awarded its annual community impact award to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for its ongoing support of its faculty, students and facilities for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and other Urban League programs.
During its 41st annual Equal Opportunity Day breakfast Thursday, the local Urban League also recognized the city of Chattanooga with its Inclusion by Design award for City Hall's business practices and community engagement activities.
Valoria Armstrong, who was named earlier this year to head Unum's office of inclusion and diversity, was awarded the Witney M. Young Jr. award for demonstrating leadership to the cause of justice. Armstrong is a former regional vice president for Chattanooga Gas and a former chair of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
Other winners at the Urban League event included the Warren E. Logan Scholarship Awards given to Chazmin Hinton, Wendell Patillo and Trinity Williams. Board emeritus seats were given for longtime service to Judge Curtis Collier and Dorothy Grisham, and the Spirit of the Movement award was given to the Young Professionals Auxiliary of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga.
The Urban League also honored the recent graduates of its seventh Inclusion by Design program. The graduates included:
— Alisha Moore, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
— Althea Jones, Tennessee Valley Authority.
— Christina Gindi, U.S. Express.
— Courtney Cochran, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
— Diego Trujillo, Hamilton County Schools.
— Jeremy Mason, Pinnacle.
— Larvizo Wright, Unum.
— Martina Harris, Chattanooga State.
— Melanie Cross, Tennessee Valley Authority.
— Reggie Wilkerson, EPB.
— Compiled by Dave Flessner