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IN THE NEWS HONORED MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AT PRIVATE DEDICATION Fraternity Held Historic MLK Memorial Weekend Activities in Washington, D.C. August 25 – 26 On Friday,Aug. 26, theAlpha PhiAlpha Fraternity, Inc. held the only dedication ceremony during the weekend that tropical storm Irene was held responsible for the MLK memorial foundation's decision to cancel the official dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. "Personally, it was the highlight of the weekend for me to look out and gaze at more than 3,000 people in the hot sun assembling as we celebrated Alpha's completion of the monument," said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity 33rd General President Herman "Skip" Mason Jr. "All of the principal parties were there included Civil Rights icons, the King Family, Past General Presidents and members of the King Memorial Foundation board of which I sit on as well. What a sight it was to walk arm in arm with the likes of Ambassador Andy Young, Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Otis Moss, Jesse Jackson and the King family over to the monument." More than 3,000 fraternity men and their families participated in the sole dedication of the memorial along with King's relatives and other Alpha Civil Rights icons on Friday, August 26. Due to Irene, Harry H. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO, of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Memorial Project Foundation, canceled the official dedication that was scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 28. "The cancellation of the dedication on Sunday was heart wrenching giv- ing the significance of the anniversary of the occasion and the planned pro- gram, but it was the right and safe thing to do. Programs can be resched- uled and anniversaries and dedication celebrated but we did not want any- one in harm's way attempting to travel to DC for this dedication. I sup- ported Harry Johnson's decision," continued General President Mason. The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity — the world's oldest intercollegiate fra- ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ternity founded by African-American men — conceived the idea of an MLK memorial and on the day it all became a reality, Herman Hemingway, King's only living line brother and Christine King Farris, King's only living sibling where on hand to realize the accomplishment. Farris King, General President Mason, King's children, Bernice King and Martin Luther King, III, Ambassador Andrew Young, Johnson and other King relatives marched silently, linked arm-and-arm, symbolizing similar marches during the Civil Rights Movement, from the stage area where remarks where held, to the tidal basin where the moment stands. HERMAN "SKIP" MASON JR. PINNACLE AWARD AND 2011 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS'GOLD SERVICE AWARD Columbia Area CVB Receives Two National Awards TheColumbiaMetropolitanConvention&VisitorsBureau (CVB)was recently honoredwith its fourth PinnacleAward, voted on by readers of SuccessfulMeetingsmagazine,and its firstMeetings&Conventions' 2011Gold ServiceAward,voted on byMeetings&Conventions' subscribers andmeeting planners throughout theworld.These annual awards celebrate the tops in the convention and visitors bureau industry that display unmatched hospitably at their respective destinations. "Receiving these awards is a true testament to each and every member of our team," commented Ric Luber, president and CEOof theMidlandsAuthority for Conventions, Sports&Tourism, the umbrella organization over the Convention& Visitors Bureau."We have and continue to work hard to offer an environment that showcases our Southern graciousness." U.S. TRAVEL PRAISES TSA FOR LAUNCHING "PRECHECK"SECURITY PROGRAM, CALLS ON TSA TO ENSURE PROGRAM'S EXPANSION AND SUCCESS The U.S. Travel Association recently commended the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for launching PreCheck, a risk-based security programthat shares common elements with a trusted traveler programthatU.S.Travel rec- ommended earlier this year . "We are encouraged to seeAdministrator Pistole and theTSAmoving away fromone-size-fits-all screening procedures toward a risk-based approach," saidRogerDow,president andCEOof theU.S.TravelAssociation."We believe PreCheck's Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 8 COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUWINS 2011