Members from the entire UD community gathered for the annual Joseph Cinque Award Banquet, held Thursday, April 12, 2007 at the UD Kennedy Union Ballroom.

This year’s award recipient was Attorney Alvarene N. Owens, who specializes in personal injury and wrongful death claims and is the president and CEO of Alvarene N. Owens Co, L.P.A. She was the first woman, first African American, and first minority to be appointed to the board of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Every year, the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) honors an African American leader with the Joseph Cinque Award. The award recognizes those individuals who actively fight for civil rights and engage in community service while providing a positive model to young attorneys. Past recipients include Gay McDougall, Johnny Cochran, Judge Alice McCollum, Wade Henderson, Gail LittleJohn, and John W. Garland.
 
The Joseph Cinque award is named in honor of Sengbe Pieh, later named Joseph Cinque by his Spanish captors, who led a mutiny on the slave ship Amistad in 1839. He and 52 fellow ship mates were captured by the U.S. Navy and were eventually represented by former president John Quincy Adams. An eight hour speech by President Adams persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that Cinque and his fellow Africans were free men. The incident bolstered the anti-slave movement.
 
“This award banquet is an important UDSL event because it brings many diverse groups together,” said UDSL student and Cinque Banquet Chair Ashley Wood. “The award recipients that we honor have impacted many lives of many diverse backgrounds. This event creates a climate that invites everyone to join for one common purpose, to honor community service and leadership.”