By Special to the Daily World
The Trumpet Awards Foundation presents the 20th Annual Trumpet Awards, a milestone achievement, with a group of history-making honorees slated to receive the 2012 esteemed Trumpet Award.
The 26 honorees join a list of some of the most celebrated personalities in this nation and abroad. The 20th Annual Trumpet Awards black-tie ceremony, sponsored by the Trumpet Awards Foundation Inc. will be hosted by Wayne Brady, star host of CBS’s “Let’s Make A Deal.” The event will be held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m.
The weekend of events and activities, held at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel, will include the Race Relations Symposium on Wednesday, Jan. 4, scheduled for 6 p.m.; on Thursday, Jan. 5, the Prayer Breakfast, scheduled for 8:30 a.m.; and High Tea with High Heels, scheduled for 3 p.m. An induction of eight new footprints will be placed into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. This induction ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 6, at 10 a.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, National Park Service, located at 450 Auburn Ave., N.E. The program preceding the induction ceremony will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The Annual Trumpet Awards was created to celebrate and honor African-American achievers and those who support the African-American experience. The awards honor achievement in diverse fields including law, medicine, business, politics, the arts, civil rights, sports and entertainment
The following is a complete list of the 2012 TRUMPET AWARDS honorees: Levi Watkins, Jr. – Medicine; Ambassador Nicole Avant – International; Mayor Cory Booker – Political Leadership; Mary Parker – Business; Emmitt and Pat Smith, NFL Hall-of-Fame – Humanitarian; Earth, Wind, & Fire – Lifetime Achievement; Tyrese Gibson – Pinnacle; Rev. C.L. Franklin (accepted by his daughter, Aretha Franklin) – Civil Rights; first lady Michelle Obama – President’s Award (pending); Ted Turner – Golden Trumpet; Black Hotel General Managers – Power at the Front Door.
For the 20th Anniversary, the Trumpet Awards Foundation decided to honor a group of individuals who have helped to change the face of the hotel industry at the front door.
“In the past, African Americans did not hold key positions at prominent hotels. The hotel industry has recently seen a significant change in its leadership as more African Americans move into positions of leadership. We want to bring awareness to this compelling fact,” said Xernona Clayton, founder and executive producer of the Trumpet Awards, and president and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation Inc.
The “Power at the Front Door” award was created to salute Black hotel general managers including: Olivia Brown, Bryan Conyers, Larry Daniels, Michael Hopper, Adrian Hughes, Russell Miller, Erica Qualls, Michael Session, Michael Smith, Gail Smith-Howard, Michael Washington, Linda Westgate, Robert Woolridge, Erika Alexander, Lorenzo Creighton, Valerie Ferguson, and Robert Steele.
The Trumpet Awards was conceived, founded, and nurtured by Xernona Clayton, who has built the Awards and Awards Foundation into a prestigious testimonial around the world. “We have come so far since we started this project in 1993 and I am extremely obliged to those individuals who saw the vision and who have worked with us for nearly 20 years. We are most jubilant to bring this event to the world and to celebrate the achievements of those who had an impact on our community,” said Clayton.
Corporate support helps to make the production of the Trumpet Awards possible; and some of the major corporate sponsors include: The Coca-Cola Company; Wells Fargo; Anheuser-Busch; Delta Air Lines; Nordstrom; Newell Rubbermaid; Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick – GMC; Hyatt Regency Atlanta; The Home Depot; and more.
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