Springfield Museums Announce 2024 Ubora, Ahadi Recipients

SPRINGFIELD — The African Hall Committee of the Springfield Museums announced the recipients of the prestigious Ubora Award and Ahadi Youth Award, which will be presented at a ceremony at the Museums on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.

Rosemary Tracy Woods, executive director of Art for the Soul Gallery, is this year’s Ubora Award recipient, and Jackson Counsel-Watkins, a 2024 graduate of Central High School who is now a freshman at UMass Amherst, was chosen for the Ahadi Youth Award.

“This is an exciting opportunity to celebrate a phenomenal community leader and an outstanding scholar,” said Terry Powe, chair of the African Hall Committee. “Celebrate culture and excellence with us. This is an exceptional evening you do not want to miss.”

Named for the Swahili word meaning ‘excellence,’ the Ubora Award has been awarded annually since 1992 to an African-American adult who has demonstrated a commitment to Greater Springfield and exhibited excellence in the fields of community service, education, science, humanities, or the arts.

Rosemary Tracy Woods

Woods is known throughout New England as a passionate advocate for social justice. In her role at Art for the Soul, she has championed the transformative power of artistic expression, particularly for African-American and Latinx communities, Native American artists, and those with disabilities like the visually and hearing impaired.

Beyond exhibitions, Woods collaborates extensively with local and state cultural councils, cementing her role as a catalyst for arts advocacy. Her accolades, including being appointed by then-Gov. Deval Patrick as Advocate for the Arts in Western Massachusetts and prestigious awards like the 2021 Newell Flather Award and the 2024 Pan African Historical Museum Legacy Award, underscore her impact. She was appointed the Western Mass. coordinator for the creative economy with the assistance of the Springfield City Council, and also aided Anita Walker, former executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, in establishing the first cultural district in Western Mass.

Jackson Counsel-Watkins

Counsel-Watkins was selected to receive the Ahadi Youth Award, given since 2009 to an African-American student (age 19 or younger) who embodies the Swahili word for ‘promise’ and excels both in academics and service to the Greater Springfield community.

An outstanding student with a GPA of 4.0, Counsel-Watkins pursued a rigorous course load in high school, including multiple AP classes. She was also a member of the track and field team and the cheerleading squad. She also co-founded Central High School’s Black Student Union and served as its first president. In this role, she fostered an environment of inclusivity and empowerment for her peers. She was a two-year member of the Hampden County district attorney’s Youth Advisory Board, teen president of the Western Mass. chapter of Jack and Jill of America, and a member of the National Honor Society.

At UMass Amherst, Jackson plans to major in speech, language, and hearing sciences with the goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist. She credits her mother with inspiring her to work hard, be kind, and help others.

Sponsored by Baystate Health, the 2024 Ubora and Ahadi Awards ceremony is open to the public. To purchase tickets or donate to the Ahadi Scholarship Fund, visit springfieldmuseums.org/ubora.