Greetings Friends,

It is with great pleasure that I report on the status of your organization, Tracy African American Association, LLC.

Our goals this year have remained focused on education.  For the community we are striving to share our culture, values, achievements and contributions; for our membership, we highlight collaboration and teamwork; and for our youth, we promote encouragement, higher education and life skills.

 Our economy is obviously struggling and it often seems that we have to do more with less.   However, I am extremely humbled at the support we are receiving from our membership and the community as we approach our 16^th Annual Juneteenth Celebration.  Someone said, “If you can believe it, you can achieve it” and “To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48), and “It takes a village to raise a child.”  I am in agreement with all these statements, and encourage you to join with us to continue the positive impact we are having in the community.

This year we have attended, sponsored, participated in and/or held several events.  These include the Tracy Unified School District (TUSD) Black Student Union’s Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, Black History Library Display, Tracy Performing Arts Foundation Cultural Fair, State of the City, Soweto Gospel Concert/ Fashion Show, Kiwanis Speaker series and mentoring program, African American Educators Association’s 8^th Grade Recognition Program, TUSD Award Programs, Tracy Chamber of Commerce mixers, city council meetings, grant writing workshops and more.  On our schedule we are planning to host/participate in the BEA SUSD Black Graduates’ Recognition Program, ours and other city’s Juneteenth programs, Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser, Tracy’s 4^th of July celebration, the City’s annual Bean Festival, our golf tournament, and community Thanksgiving and Kwanzaa celebrations.

The accomplishment about which we are most proud this year is our ability to award a dozen or more scholarships to Tracy youths toward college.  We thank you for all your support, and wish all continued success and blessings.

Sincerely, Howard F. Baker Jr.
TAAA President