SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Museums is currently seeking nominations for the annual Ubora Award and Ahadi Youth Award. These awards are given to African-American people from Greater Springfield who go above and beyond in the community through their acts of service and their contributions to local education, science, humanities and the arts.

The Ubora Award is given to an adult in the community who displays this excellence. The Ahadi Youth Award is given to a similar individual who is 19 years or younger, lives in or has strong ties to the Greater Springfield area and is currently enrolled in grades 10, 11 or 12. Nominations will be accepted until March 31.

Denise R. Jordan was the winner of the Ubora Award in 2007. Born and raised in Springfield, Jordan now works as the executive director of the Springfield Housing Authority. She has dedicated her life to helping others through both her professional work and her volunteer work.

Jordan was the president of the Academic Athletic Achievement Association, also known as 5A Football, for over 12 years. She also was a founding member of the Martin Luther King Charter School for Excellence and served on a number of other volunteer boards.

“I kind of was running around just doing volunteer efforts all over the place,” she said.

According to Jordan, winning the Ubora was both an honor and a surprise.

“I received the award in 2007 and so, first of all, it was a surprise, but it was an honor and privilege for me to be an Ubora Award recipient because I knew so many of the previous recipients and the work that they’ve done in Greater Springfield. I think my proudest moment is the Ubora Award is one that I share with my father,” she said.

Jordan’s father, Raymond A. Jordan Jr., won the Ubora Award in 2003.

Jordan is now a part of the African Hall Subcommittee, which works to go through nominations and choose a winner for both the Ubora Award and Ahadi Award. She says that many of the winners of these awards are “dedicated servant leaders.”

“They’re quietly doing things that need to be done. They’ve committed their lives to service. Much of the work that they do they do outside of their 9 to 5, so I would say some serve with humility and I think being awarded the Ubora Award is sort of like the culmination of all of your work and your community service. It’s almost like receiving the Ubora Award feels like the fruits of your labor,” she said.

Helen Caulton-Harris is another Ubora Award winner. Caulton-Harris won the award in 2016.

Caulton-Harris works as the commissioner of the Division of Health and Human Services for the city of Springfield. Along with her professional work, Caulton-Harris is also a member of the Greater Springfield Chapter of Links and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In 2020, Caulton-Harris was selected to be a Woman of Impact honoree by Business West. She is deeply involved with civic engagement in the community.

“The Ubora Award was probably the most prestigious award that I received. The Ubora Award really acknowledges, as an African American woman, the work that I have done, not only in the community but in my civic engagement as well,” she said.

Caulton-Harris spoke of the emotions she felt when she won the award.

“The African American community bestowing that award on me was extremely emotional for me. I, again, have received numerous awards over the years and this award stands out to me as something that is very uplifting and important and really makes me feel valued as far as the city is concerned,” she said. “The African American community understanding, acknowledging and celebrating my work was so important. It made me understand how important it is to do the work and do it in a way that brings credit, not only to the Greater Springfield area, but to the African American community.”

Caulton-Harris is also a member of the African Hall Subcommittee. She said all individuals nominated for both the Ubora Award and the Ahadi Youth Award are reviewed and discussed at length before a voting process takes place.

A full list of the past awardees can be found on the Springfield Museums website.

Those interested in learning more about the Ubora Award, the Ahadi Youth Award or nominating an individual are encouraged to visit https://springfieldmuseums.org/ubora/.