again, we are very happy that margaret porter troupe could make the trip across country to join us this afternoon to accept the lifetime achievement award for luis meriwether, and i will say just a few words of introduction for those of you who are not familiar with her work, you you are in for some big beautiful surprises. within the arkin panorama of american literal literature, she she holds a unique and hallowed position, many positions actually. as a pioneer of women's letters and a pioneer of african-american art, she staked out new territories, uncharted, untaken down in words, but not entirely unknown to the inter-lives of of black women, their sisters, husbands, brothers, sons and daughters, old old and young. the emotional complexity of her characters revealing the agility of her own imagination and intelligence discloses a consistent empathy to hold her people close. despite whatever contradictions may exist, despite the terrors and terminal engine turmoil, there is always, at come at the center, a deep and abiding sense of their own shared humanity. it is this immense qualit