The US, specifically the Midwest, is home to a large South Sudanese diaspora population. Moses Tut is a member of this South Sudanese diaspora – he now lives here in Minneapolis and is making a huge impact in the world.
One of Moses’ priorities is taking a moment to recognize all of the accomplishments of the South Sudanese community. He wants to acknowledge all of the good that the community is doing and also spur more good. So he created this thing called the ACE Awards. The ACE Awards stand for the South Sudan Arts, Culture, & Entertainment (ACE) Awards. It’s an annual event that aims to recognize South Sudanese for their achievements in various fields – including Musician of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Designer of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Model of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year. The purpose of ACE is to empower the South Sudanese in the community.
As one of the only humanitarian organizations that is operating in South Sudan and one that has been there for so long, we knew that we wanted to get involved with this important event and support the community! So, on Day 315 it was clear that we needed to sponsor this important event.
The ACE Awards took place on Friday, November 3rd in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Over 100 members of the diaspora attended from Sioux Falls, and also traveled from far and wide to be in attendance, anywhere from Iowa and Omaha to Canada. Representatives from different organizations working in South Sudan gave presentations. ARC’s Annie Nolte-Henning, who recently returned from South Sudan, spoke about her experience visiting the country.
ARC’s sponsorship of the ACE Awards helped make it happen! Ultimately, the ACE Awards focus is on supporting the South Sudanese community in giving back to one another and to their larger communities. That they continue to give back to their communities, “That’s all we can ever hope for,” Moses said.
ARC was proud to be able to support the ACE Awards, attend and enjoy a wonderful evening alongside this incredible community. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationships and for future partnerships together. “The fact that you are here is big,” said community member Goi Yol.
