About “10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area” Awards Gala
Seven years ago, CityFlight Media Network’s President/CEO took notice of the significant number of talented and extremely influential individuals the CityFlight Newsmagazine featured each month. It was then realized that even as we approached the new millennium, there was still a dire need to make such individuals known as a way to increase the hope and pride of the African American community.
CityFlight is proud to have established the annual Bay Area tradition of publicly recognizing 30 individuals who have made significant contributions in representing and enriching the Bay Area African American community during the prior year. We acknowledge them all, and pay tribute to the ten people who excelled in their accomplishments and contributions to the African American community, thus naming them the “10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area.”
CityFlight’s awards gala has grown to attract as many as 1,200 attendees. Having held the first awards program at a small jazz nightclub with very intimate seating for 220 people, CityFlight has since presented its awards at venues such as San Francisco’s beautiful Herbst Theatre, Oakland's historic Calvin Simmons Theatre; and in 2006, the elegant Yerba Buena Center for Arts Theater in San Francisco. The affair is one of the Bay Area’s most highly anticipated annual events. As the only program of its kind in the Bay Area, the affair has garnered support over the years from numerous diverse corporate partners.