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Dedrick Blue Honored at HCCIs Eighth Annual Awards Dinner

Dedrick Blue, senior pastor of the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harlem, New York, was one of four people honored on April 22 by the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI). Appropriately themed, "Let Us Break Bread Together," the awards banquet, held at GU restaurant in Harlem, honored those who have accomplished extraordinary things in the Harlem community. Along with Blue, others who were honored include Michelle Paige Patterson, the First Lady of New York State and founder of Healthy Steps; Annie B. Martin, president of the New York City Chapter of the NAACP; and Keith L. David, actor, philanthropist, and Harlem native.

Blue, a member of HCCI, was the keynote speaker at the March 5 annual Spring Breakfast Meeting for the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of HIV/AIDS forum sponsored by HCCI.

Humbled by the award, Blue expressed his gratitude by saying that he well aware that several other clergy members in the room could also be honored with the esteemed award. Advocacy for persons who are living with AIDS/HIV has been a part of Blue’s personal quest for a number of years. As the co-founder of Adventists Against AIDS in Africa (A4), Blue dedicated his award to a young child who succumbed to the disease, shortly after he baptized her. During his remarks, he encouraged the audience to continue to fight HIV/AIDS, having the audience chant, "Yes, we will. Yes, we will!”

The mistress of ceremonies for the evening was Tamron Hall, MSNBC anchor.

Founded in 1986, HCCI is a coalition of more than 90 inter-faith congregations that has implemented a comprehensive portfolio of programs that include providing affordable housing and safe streets, and offering opportunities for individuals and groups to remain economically independent and increase understanding and access to health care.

A Boston, Massachusetts, native, Blue has served the Adventist Church for nearly 30 years. In addition to his role as a pastor, he has served as a missionary, college instructor, vice president of Student Services and chaplain at Oakwood University, among many other positions.

Through the work of the men’s ministries, women’s ministries and Adventist Youth Society at Ephesus church, Blue continues his efforts at stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Harlem community. His work with HCCI has enabled him to take this mission to an even wider audience.

—Shaunée L. Wallace, communication director, Ephesus church. Photo: Greg Hodge