On Thursday, Jan. 16 the Black Agency Executives (BAE) held their 37th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon at the New York Hilton. BAE is a membership organization comprised of executives of major human services agencies in New York City. Their president, Danielle Moss Lee said, “Our annual luncheon not only supports our ongoing work toward supporting the growing needs of Black leaders in the human services profession, it’s also a premier networking event for people who engaged in the social sector as professionals and supporters.”
David Ushery of NBC 4 New York served as master of ceremonies for the event. Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture was the Keynote speaker, and he delivered a thought provoking speech, the theme of which was: “Voting Rights Suppression: The Widespread Effect of Millennium Jim Crow.” His address really resonated with the audience.
Since it’s first event in 1977, the organization has continued to grow steadily and continues to honor the life and achievements of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., bringing together thinkers in the field for an afternoon of thought provoking discussion. The event is designed to inspire social change and make a difference within the Black community.
Honorees were: Emblem Health, accepted by David Flemister, director of Brand Strategy and Community Marketing; David R. Jones, president and CEO, Community Service Society; Esmerald Simmons, Esq., executive director, Center for Law and Social Justice, Medger Evers College, CUNY; Vivian Manning Fox, president Childcare Corp. and Executive Director, 1199 Childcare Funds, Bill Lynch, III, (posthumously) vice president, Bill Lynch Associates, LLC.
Entertainment included performance by “The Trio,” from “After Midnight,” actresses / singers, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Rosen M. Hill Jackson and Bryonha Marie Parham, and topical humor from comedian and television personality, Chuck Nice.
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