Launching Black Excellence Awards Gala

The Space Coast Black Chamber is celebrating the history of the African diaspora and honoring the many things that have made Florida’s Space Coast region exceptional. Now more than ever, we believe it is time to recognize and celebrate all that we’ve overcome. This year’s theme, Resilience and Resurgence: Commemorating Africa’s Ancestral Treasures, celebrating the unique heritage of Africa and the significant contributions of African culture to the world. Suggested attire for the evening is formal African inspired or traditional formal wear.

NOMINATION INFORMATION

Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Nonprofit Humanitarian of the Year Award  

Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Nonprofit Humanitarian Award identifies and honors those who

embody Harry & Harriette’s civic engagement belief that the power of individual and collective moral courage can overcome injustice. Each year, we honor outstanding champions of social justice who stand up to oppression, even at great personal risk, in the nonviolent pursuit of human rights. 

This award recognizes a non-profit organization that has demonstrated an exemplary level of leadership and community engagement to assist the needs of the space coast community, and to service the needs of its clients, employees and partners. Requirements for this award are:

• Organization must be a 501(c)(3)
• Has coordinated efforts to advance black, indigenous people of color (BIPOC) or the underserved interests within the space coast community 
• Actively support legislative action designed to help advance black, indigenous people of color (BIPOC) or the underserved interests
• Contributes to community-oriented projects 
• Provide example(s) of adversity/challenges faced while helping others (examples of problems faced in the nominee’s nonprofit and the methods used to solve them)

Crane Creek Business Start Up of the Year Award

Shortly after the Civil War, three formerly enslaved men Peter Wright, Balaam Allen and Wright Brothers settled Crane Creek, a community that was renamed to the City of Melbourne by its first postmaster. 

This award recognizes a startup company that has attained outstanding business achievement with fewer than 25 employees and 1-3 years of full-time operation (not a buyout of an existing company). Requirements for this award are:

• Business must be a 51% BIPOC-owned establishment
• Explanation of product or service offered (explanation of how the product or service fits a niche not being adequately addressed by the competition) 
• Response to adversity/challenges faced while starting-up business (examples of problems faced by the nominee’s business start-up and the methods used to solve them)

Katherine Johnson STEM Innovation of the Year Award

Katherine Johnson provided some of the math for the 1958 document Notes on Space Technology, a compendium of a series of 1958 lectures given by engineers in the Flight Research Division and the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division (PARD) for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ (NACA) later becoming NASA. She did trajectory analysis for the May 1961 mission Freedom 7, America’s first human spaceflight. In 1960, she co-authored Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position, a report laying out the equations describing an orbital spaceflight in which the landing position of the spacecraft is specified. It was the first time a woman in the Flight Research Division had received credit as an author of a research report.

This award recognizes businesses or organizations that have made a significant technological contribution to STEM through key research, or have designed, developed, managed or assisted in the development of a product, service, system or intellectual property. Requirements for this award are:

• Uniqueness of the individual’s research
• Product or service offered (explanation of how the product or service fits a niche not being adequately addressed by the competition) 
• Provide example(s) of adversity/challenges faced during the innovation period (examples of problems faced by the nominee’s and the methods used to solve them)

Rudolph “Rudy” Stone Entrepreneur of the Year Award

This award recognizes a small business owner, founder or co-founders, who has/have attained outstanding business achievement. 

Requirements for this award are:

• Business must be 51% BIPOC-owned establishment
• Product or service offered (explanation of how the product or service fits a niche not being adequately addressed by the competition) 
• Volunteer efforts to advance entrepreneur interests within the Space Coast community 

Andrew Gibson Business of the Year Award 

Andrew Jackson Gibson was the fourth of nine children, four sons and five daughters, born to a mulatto slave by the name of William, who was the son of an unnamed African female slave and a white planter by the name of William Gibson.  Andrew became the first black businessman in Titusville when he opened the first barbershop, then becoming Brevard County's first jailer, and he worked as the supervisor of the only public road in Brevard County. Andrew also held two public offices at the same time.

This award recognizes a small business that has demonstrated an exemplary level of leadership and community engagement to assist the needs of its community, and to service the needs of its customers, employees and neighbors. The requirements for this award are:

• Business must be 51% BIPOC-owned establishment
• A substantiated history as an established business
• Growth in number of employees 
• Increased employment opportunities for members of the BIPOC community
• Product or service offered (explanation of how the product or service fits a niche not being adequately addressed by the competition) 
• Volunteers efforts to advance black, indigenous people of color (BIPOC) business interests within the Space Coast community 

NOMINATIONS CLOSED JULY 1, 2023