ACE Press
Recipient of the “2025 Lewis Rudd Long-Standing Business Award
We are thrilled to celebrate ACE Academy, the recipient of the Lewis Rudd Long-Standing Business Award at the Sixth Annual Black-Owned Business Excellence Symposium!
Our dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence have made a lasting impact on the Black business community. Our ACE journey is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the power of Black entrepreneurship.
Thank you, BOBE for your recommendations, and Thank you all for your contributions to the community and for paving the way for future generations.
When: February, 1st, 2025
Time: 8am
Where: Wood Technology Center (Seattle)
More Information: https://www.bobewa.org/
Celebrating Excellence! Check out this inspiring story about how ACE Academy is spotlighted for championing Black male educators and Young Black Men and the positive impact they’re making.
ACE — Black Male Educator Awards
The Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) recently honored two outstanding Black male professionals in education — Chris Carter (Administrator of the Year) and Alex Rankin (Educator of the Year) — at its annual Night of Excellence Gala. The awards, established by ACE’s Black Educator Institute, celebrate the leadership and dedication of Black male educators and administrators whose work has positively shaped students' lives and strengthened their school communities. In the same event, ACE also awarded F.A.M.E. scholarships to seven Black male students, reinforcing its commitment to creating educational pathways and opportunities for Black youth.
Congratulations to ACE Academy (Clarence Dancer, Jr, Marcus Harden and WIllie Seals, III) for receiving the 2025 Mountaintop Award in Education at The MLK Prayer Breakfast on Monday, January 20, 2025.
Over 60 years ago, Dr. King said ‘I Have a Dream’ to 250,000 gathered for the March on Washington. This Dream was set between a perpetual reality of loss and hate, among struggle and resistance. His speech sparked a movement in Seattle, gathering with the values of unity, justice, and love inspired to endure.
The mission of the MLK Prayer Breakfast is to unite businesses, non-profit organizations, and church families to celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s spiritual legacy. We honor community education, business, and community leaders who model Dr. King’s work in unity, justice and love within their reach.
The Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast is presented by the MLK Prayer Breakfast Planning Committee, MLK Breakfast Business Advisory Committee, Urban Impact and the following community partners: C3 Leaders, King County Youth Chaplaincy, Olive Crest, Seattle Pacific University John Perkins Center, Seattle Youth for Christ, World Relief, Fellowship Seattle, Community Passageways and Vision House and Acts on Stage, in cooperation with the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee.
Recipient of $150,000 grant from the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning
Seattle has awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to expand diversity in education, with a focus on supporting Black male educators and young Black men pursuing careers in teaching. These funds will help create pathways for mentorship, training, and representation—ensuring that more classrooms reflect the students and communities they serve.