Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, founder and CEO of the National Black Theatre, Inc, with presenter Woodie King, Jr.

2000 Recipient

National Black Theatre Festival was founded by Larry Leon Hamlin in 1989. The goal of this organization is to unite black theatre companies in America and to ensure their survival into the next millennium. The organization has attracted national and international media coverage. According to The New York Times, "The 1989 National Black Theatre Festival was one of the most historic and culturally significant events in the history of black theatre and American theatre in general." The National Black Theatre Festival is an international outreach program of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, celebrating 22 years of excellence in professional black theatre.