Experience It: Steve Harvey’s Freedom Party

Photos by Patrice Tudor, PT Photography

Premier Syndicated Radio host Steve Harvey partnered with the Ford Motor Company to create a unique party experience that launched a four-day fundraiser for his Steve Harvey Foundation Mentoring for Young Men at AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta. Carried on Radio One urban AC WAMJ-FM (Magic 107.5) in Atlanta, Harvey also used the occasion to show appreciation to his listeners in the area.

Commented Crystal Worthem, Multicultural Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company, who had the new 2010 Ford SHO on hand for listeners to experience: “We are extremely excited about teaming up with Steve Harvey and The Steve Harvey Foundation for an event that is geared toward empowering young men. By taking part in this event we are able to continue in our efforts to empower and educate our youth within the community while simultaneously teaming up with an organization who shares our vision for giving back.”

One-hundred young men, ages 13-18 enrolled in grades 8-11 from a single female head of household family from around the country, will be pre-selected to travel to Dallas, Texas with a parent or guardian for a weekend of mentoring.

Doug E. Fresh performed for the fans, who were joined by celebrities that included NBA greats like Dr. J and Kevin Willis, actor Emmanuel Lewis, 100 Black Men of America’s Thomas Dortch, and WSB-TV anchor Jovita Moore.

Harvey, who launched this mentoring aspect of his foundation earlier this year, explained: “Our mentoring program for young men is designed to give boys the blueprint to manhood and to open their minds to enable them to envision and one day realize their dreams.”

NABOB Celebrates 25th Awards Dinner

After an impromptu but welcomed blessing by Chaka Khan, NABOB Chairman of the Board, Pierre M. Sutton literally burst into words of support for President Obama. And a good thing since Obama-nominated 82nd Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. was among this year’s honorees during NABOB’s 25th Annual Communications Awards Dinner at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. This year’s honorees included Chaka Khan, Mo’Nique, Andrae Crouch, Keyshia Cole, Jerry “The Ice Man” Butler, Eric Holder, and Cicely Tyson. MoNique was unable to attend due to the death of her grandmother. Steve Harvey hosted the gala that included Music Hall of Fame legend Kenny Gamble and gospel pioneer Hezekiah Walker among the presenters.
Following the traditional dinner, NABOB winners Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash—LaBelle–took the stage, performing songs from their current disc Back To Now. They ended with the trio’s 1974 hit “Lady Marmalade,” which really got the crowd to dancing. “I am not just an entertainer,” Patti LaBelle told the crowd. “We’re in a depression and things are happening to us that we never thought would happen to us. People are losing homes, losing cars, losing the health

benefits. We have to be real up in here.”
Fellow honoree Andrae Crouch told the crowd he felt blessed to be recognized and thankful for his good health. “I’ve had cancer four times,” he related. “And God healed me every time.”
Actress Cicely Tyson accepted her award, saying, “The first word that struck me in the name of the organization was Black broadcasters. The second thing was that it was national. The third was that it has been in existence for 26 years. That tells me that for 26 years they have been telling us who we are, what we are and why we are. It is the only group of people that brought us news about ourselves across this country.”
Keyshia Cole thanked the audience and said she didn’t want to cry because of her “hard girl” persona. “But you are such a great inspiration to me and I thank God because He’s given me the knowledge and I’m gonna be married to 60 years one day.”
Chaka Khan expressed that God gave her a voice “not just so that you could hear me sing, but for you to hear me say that we need to save our children.”
The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) is a non-profit corporation of African American owners of radio and television stations across the country.