He pointed to ancient Egypt, an African civilization that influenced classical Greece. He also pointed to the origin of humanity. Slaves, he said, built the nation's economy — North and South.

"Our history has been lost, stolen," he said. "African people and their descendants have a lot to be proud of."

During the banquet, retiring Rep. Duane Bourdeaux, D-Salt Lake, was given the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights award. Bourdeaux was among lawmakers who fought to name the state's Human Rights Day for King. Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake Branch NAACP, was the Rosa Parks Award recipient for her years of activism.

Valerie Ahanonu, a junior at the University of Utah majoring in exercise physiology with a minor in nutrition, received a $1,000 scholarship from Larry Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz. The NAACP presented $1,000 scholarships to Andrew Aliganga, a junior environmental studies student at the U., and to Clem Collins IV, a junior studying civil engineering at the U.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com

Contributing: Peter Nagy