C.T. Vivian Foundation Programs
Foundation Programs are as follows:
C.T. & Octavia Vivian Literary Museum
C.T. and Octavia Vivian Literary Museum represents over 30 years of book collecting by Dr. Vivian and his wife, Octavia. Our mission is to transform this 6,000 volume collection of Black literature into a state-of-the-art interactive exhibition and programming that brings to life the rich heritage of African Americans and those of African descent through the authors, people, and characters of the books, as well as engage and inspire the next generation of social justice activists. The Literary Museum will also serve as a gathering place-in person and online—for the exchange of ideas, to engage diverse perspectives, to look for solutions, and enjoy literature not only through the interactive exhibition, but through guest authors, writing clinics and more.
Octavia Vivian Scholarship Program
C.T. and Octavia believed in the power of literature to transform minds and elevate one’s understanding of who we are, who we have been, and who we have the potential to be as African Americans. They also believed in supporting students whose passions and actions have the potential to further the impact of literary work. To honor their legacy, C.T. Vivian Foundation will provide scholarships to college bound high school students and college students who aspire to become writers and have a passion for writing about the African American experience through poetry, history, journalism, fiction, and all other genres of literature. Over the past two years the Scholarship Program has awarded over $35,000 in scholarship money.
Applications Closed
Scholarship Launch Date:
September 18, 2023
Scholarship Submission Deadline:
February 2, 2024
The Advocate: The C.T. Vivian Social Justice Award
In 2023, The Advocate: The C.T. Vivian Social Justice Award, was developed to honor civil rights leaders and humanitarians who like Dr. Vivian, humbly and tirelessly do the work for positive social change without seeking recognition. The first awardees, Xernona Clayton (Civil Rights Advocate, member of M.L. King’s staff), and Elisabeth Omilami (Humanitarian and CEO of Hosea Helps) were honored at the 2023 Kaleidoscope Awards for Literary Excellence.
In 2021, the Foundation launched its first Curriculum Project entitled It’s in the Action which is currently being utilized at Louisiana State University, University of Georgia, and Emory University as well as other major colleges and universities throughout the country. C.T. Vivian Foundation will also collaborate with schools to develop additional curriculum around the 6,000 plus book collection in the areas of African American history, race relations, sociology, psychology, creative writing, and English literature.
The It's In The Action Curriculum
It’s in the Action, a 16-week course tracing Dr. C.T. Vivian’s footsteps as a nonviolent warrior and American icon, explores his remarkable life, examines his work and his teachings, and asks how his example can guide us today. Dr. Vivian’s passion was to fight for social justice, economic equality, and freedom for all while staying true to the principles of nonviolence. With the current political and racial climate in America, this curriculum is not only relevant but essential for equipping our future leaders in the work of creating a more equitable America. In Dr. Vivian’s own words, “Leadership is found in the action to defeat that which would defeat you… You are made by the struggle you choose.”
The Curriculum is currently being utilized at colleges and universities around the country. Schools such as Louisiana State University, Morehouse College, Georgia State, Clayton State and Emory are teaching the curriculum with great interest enthusiasm from the students. It’s in the Action Curriculum is a living monument to a civil rights icon, an American treasure, and the man Dr. Martin Luther King called “the best preacher to ever live.”
Georgia Colleges Teach New Course on C.T. Vivian’s Civil Rights Legacy
Curriculum Article by American Association of Colleges and Universities
“C. T.’s journey is a roadmap of the movement itself.”
– Ambassador Andrew Young
Authors who exhibit literary excellence in the telling of the African American Experience will be honored at the annual Kaleidoscope Awards for Literary Excellence Awards Dinner. Book review editors and past Kaleidoscope Awards for Literary Excellence awardees will advise the winners each year.
We look forward to updating our supporters on the progress of these programs.
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