To support racial harmony and the unity of mankind, Moujan Vahdat, a billionaire New York-based real estate developer and founder of Elmo Realty Co., has implemented an annual competition known as the “Race Unity Awards,” and just selected its inaugural winner. After a citywide competition, junior Matthew Garaicoa at Lehman College in the Bronx took the top prize, which includes an honorary plaque along with a $2,500 check for his impressive efforts in taking action to raise awareness about racial equality.
“I am so proud of the hard work in promoting racial unity and racial justice that Matthew brings to his school and community,” Vahdat says. “Racism is the most pressing issue confronting America. By challenging our worldviews and implementing actions towards progressing the oneness of humanity, we are building bridges that help others succeed and find hope for a united future.”
Vahdat received more than 100 essays from students at NYC-based colleges across all five boroughs. The nominees were put forth by their school’s faculty who based nominations on the students’ efforts in raising awareness about racial equality on campus and/or in their communities.
Specifically, the students had to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to empowering others by being effective advocates for racial equality or produce scholarly work, which significantly improved others’ understanding about the challenges that diverse people face in America — whether the challenges are physical, moral or spiritual. Another criterion was to what degree the student implemented initiatives that promote race unity on campus and/or in their community. Lastly, they were judged on responses to the question of how they would use the money to help others become advocates for racial equality.
Garaicoa, the 2022 winner, is a sociology major and a social inequality and urban studies minor. His impressive work during the Fall 2022 semester included his research project titled “History of the Gross Michel: The impact and importance of TR4 Fungal Disease,” which analyzed the global impact of the TR4 Fungal Disease from a societal, economic and scientific perspective. His presentation wowed faculty and peers alike.
In addition, Garaicoa spearheaded the “Let’s Go Bananas” collaboration between Lehman Lab for Social Analysis and the New York Botanical Garden. The project encourages an ethnographic and historiographic exploration of bananas and plantains, utilizing the rich knowledge of Bronx residents — many of whose family backgrounds are rooted in banana-producing regions and who consume bananas and plantains as a key ingredient in their foods.
He also co-wrote and starred in” ¡Pa’lante!“, a play inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a matter of nine weeks, Garaicoa along with 18 other Lehman students created and staged an original story focused on a group of individuals, each advocating for their own people in a world of injustice, uncaring and inequality. The play sold out all three nights at The Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College and was the first time students and the community gathered to enjoy a show at the theater since the pandemic.
“Not only will this award help me further my education to better understand the history of racial inequality in the United States, it will also allow me to reinvest into my own communities by advocating for Race Unity here at Lehman college, and by supporting local businesses in the Bronx,” Garaicoa said.
A ceremony was held at Lehman College on Wednesday, Jan. 11 where Vahdat met with Richard Finger, interim vice president and enrollment manager at Lehman College, to present the award and plaque to Garaicoa.
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