George,

Below is my letter to the MacArthur Foundation:

A SALUTE TO BENEFACTOR AND RECIPIENT

The MacArthur Foundation
Mr. Daniel J. Socolow, Director
Chicago, IL

Dear Mr. Socolow:

Many music lovers in Charlottesville, Virgina join me in expressing thanks to members of the MacArthur Foundation Fellows Program for having chosen Corey Harris of Charlottesville as one of 24 people recently awarded a $500,000 grant (paid in quarterly installments over five years).

Since becoming a resident of Charlottesville several years ago I have attended some of Corey Harris' performances and was deeply moved each time by his singing the blues and playing the guitar. Each time was an event that was spirit-lifting. He is playing a valuable role in reviving country blues.

In making this award to Harris you have been guided by your mission statement making "an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential" as you have done since 1981 by making 731 awards amounting to over $350,000.000. "This is a testament to the goodness of John D. and Catherine MacArthur who established the MacArthur Foudnation, and those who have kept their legacy alive.

Unfortunately, there are some Foundations that exclude African-Americans from their list of awardees. But whether it be Henry Louis Gates or Corey Harris the MacArthur Foundation awards each of them a "genuis grant." What a positive differene it woud make if more Foundations and Education Institutions with huge endownments would cease hoarding wealth and invest it in individual and human potential.

Again, thank you for selecting my fellow-Charlottesvillian Corey Harris as a MacArthur Foundation Fellow for 2007. Bravo!

Respectfully,

Uriah J. Fields
Author of "The SaintTroubadour"