The NEA Foundation is a public charity founded by educators for educators to improve public education for all students. On February 8, the NEA Foundation honored educators from across the country, rang in our 50th anniversary year, and celebrated the promise of public education for all of America’s students.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary, dynamic motion graphics were created to bring life to the graphic tangrams representing the principles of the foundation – promise, opportunity, learning, unwavering, future, inspire, and believe. These graphics were displayed on stage during the awards ceremony and projected throughout the gala.

The hosts for the evening were renowned actor, director, poet and musician Malcolm Jamal-Warner and award-winning speaker, author, and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien. Together they helped the more than 900 guests and hundreds of livestream viewers cheer on the 46 educators who received the 2019 California Casualty Awards for Teaching Excellence.