CityFlight Media Network and State Farm Insurance Announce 30 Black History Makers to be Honored During 7th Annual Awards Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EDITORS: Arts/Entertainment, Features, Media, Urban Affairs, Event Calendars
CONTACT
Toni Beckham
408.499.3664
PR@cityflight.com
"10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area" for 2005
Many people contribute consistently to the welfare of our children, our businesses, and the African American community at-large, often without recognition. Seven years ago, CityFlight Media Network established the annual Bay Area tradition of publicly recognizing 30 such outstanding individuals and naming ten of them among the "10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- FEBRUARY 8, 2006 -– Today, in the spirit of Black History Month, CityFlight Media Network and State Farm Insurance announced the names of 30 individuals who made significant contributions in representing and enriching the Bay Area African American community during the past year. Each of the thirty nominees will be recognized, and ten of them will be named among the "10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area" for 2005. State Farm Insurance, in conjunction with CityFlight, 102.9 FM KBLX, and NBC11/KNTV will host the much-anticipated black-tie affair at 7:30 pm Saturday, March 25, 2006 at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theatre, where several hundred attendees will be comfortably seated to enjoy CityFlight's 7th annual spectacular awards gala. More than 20 prestigious African American community and professional organizations that comprise the nomination committee, and the general public nominated people whom they considered deserving of recognition.
From among more than 130 candidates submitted, the Bay Area black history-makers selected as the 30 most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area for 2005 are:
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Brian Copeland - Comedian, Actor, KGO Radio Commentator, San Leandro
Marcus Shelby - Music Composer & Arranger, Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra,
SF
Monica Stewart - Visual Artist, Oakland
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Anita Long-MackFarland - Exec. Dir., Digital Clubhouse Network/Silicon Valley
Olis Simmons - Executive Director, Youth UpRising, Oakland
Rick Callender - President, San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP
CORPORATE
Carole Ward Allen, Ph.D. - President, BART Board of Directors, Oakland
Charles A. James - V.P. and General Counsel, Chevron Corp., San Ramon
Bernard Tyson - Sr. V.P., Brand Strategy, Kaiser Found. Health Plan, Inc.,
Oakland
EDUCATION
Dr. Arlene Ackerman, Ed.D. - Superintendent, SF Unified School District
Bobbie J. Brooks, M.Ed. - So. Alameda County Alliance of Af. Am. Edu., Hayward
Hedwig Gayle Rucker, Ed.D. - Principal, Millbrook Elementary School, San Jose
HEALTHCARE
Mack Roach, III, MD. - Prof., Radiation Oncology/Urology; UCSF
Brian Jeffery Swann, DDS. - Dental Solutions, San Jose
Brenda Wade, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Pres., Heartline Productions, SF
MEDIA
Bob Butler - Dir. of Diversity, Viacom Television Stations Group, SF
Brenda Payton - Columnist, Oakland Tribune
Sara Sidner - News Anchor / Reporter, KTVU Channel 2, Oakland
POLITICAL/PUBLIC SERVICE
Deborah A. Edgerly - City Administrator, City of Oakland
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins – Exec. Officer, South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council
Larry Reid - 7th District Councilmember, City of Oakland
SPIRITUAL
Bishop Keith L. Clark - Pastor, Word Assembly Baptist Church, Oakland
Dr. Charlie Hames, Jr. - Pastor, BeeBe Memorial Cathedral, Oakland
Dr. Arelious Walker - Pastor, True Hope COGIC, San Francisco
SPORTS
Sharon L. Creer – President, SCA Sports Management, Hercules
Michelle Hall – Gen. Manager, San Jose Spiders (NWBL), Oakland
Bryant Young - Defensive End, San Francisco 49ers
YOUTH
Krystina Rose Daniels - Senior, Milpitas High School
Tristan Hicks - Senior, Valley Christian High School, San Jose
Oluoma Kas-Osoka - Senior, Andrew Hill High School, San Jose
CityFlight Media Network and its nomination committee encourage everyone to visit 10MostInfluential.com to learn more about the distinguished nominees, and to cast a vote for one nominee in each of the ten categories. Online voting will remain open throughout Black History Month. The names of the exceptional Bay Area icons to be named among the "10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area" for 2005 will remain secret until announced during the grand affair.
CityFlight, title sponsor State Farm Insurance, the number one auto insurer in the U.S.;102.9 FM KBLX, the leader in adult contemporary music; and NBC11/KNTV, the Bay Area's leading news station, will roll out the red carpet for an evening of glitz, glamour, entertainment, and exciting Grammy-style awards gala. Event tickets are $55. To purchase tickets, please visit 10MostInfluential.com, www.ybca.org or call 415.978.ARTS (2787).
Greg Jones, Senior Vice President, State Farm Insurance said, "State Farm is proud to play a role in promoting community development and prosperity across diverse ethnic, economic, social and political realities." He continued, "We salute the people nominated for the CityFlight award for the many contributions they've made and their ability to inspire others to succeed."
Adobe Systems, Inc., Ameriprise Financial, Inc., Comcast Corporation, Comerica Bank, Tager Group, The Crown Royal Company and Yahoo! are among the generous corporate partners to have committed early on to help bring about this year's history-making celebration. Numerous other leading corporations are expected to join in the innovative campaign to recognize this year’s 30 deserving honorees. Proceeds from the awards gala and sponsor support will benefit Flight Community Services, Inc. "Take Flight™" Continuing Education Scholarship Program.
CityFlight's prior awards programs have been enormously successful events that were attended by a host of the Bay Area's most prominent community, corporate, sports, entertainment, ministerial and political leaders, among other of the Bay Area's elite.
Among prior years' award recipients are: Belva Davis, KRON 4-TV special assignment reporter, KQED–TV program host, and president of the Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD) Board of Directors; Kamala Harris, District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco; Myia Jones, 14-year-old founder and president of Multicultural Youth-in-Action (MYIA) and ambassador for the Women's Sports Foundation; Dori J. Maynard, President and CEO, Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education; and Bess Stephens, Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy and Education, and Executive Director of the Hewlett-Packard Company Foundation.
The premier community and professional organizations that comprise the stellar nomination committee are:
100 Black Men of Silicon Valley, Inc.
Nat'l Coalition of 100 Black Women, San Jose
100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc.
Nat'l Coalition of 100 Black Women, East Bay
Bay Area Black Journalist Association
Network of Intel African American Employees
Black Employee Association of PG&E
San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP
Black Women Organized for Political Action
Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce
Charles Houston Bar Association
Sinkler Miller Medical Association
First Fridays of the Bay Area
Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce
Macy's Black Employee Resource Network
State Farm Insurance
Diablo Black Men's Group
Wells Fargo Employee Assoc. - Checkpoint
National Association of Black Accountants
Women of Color Action Network (WCAN)
National Black MBA Association
ABOUT CITYFLIGHT MEDIA NETWORK:
Founded in 1995, CityFlight Media Network was created to educate, entertain
and inspire its audience in order to uplift the community, support business
successes, and offer positive guidance for youth.
The Network encompasses its flagship division CityFlight Newsmagazine™, the award winning African American news publication; CityFlight Online™, which is represented by its premier website for African American news, events and search directories; and CityFlight Events™, the division that produces some of the Bay Area’s most highly-praised special events.
CityFlight Media Network operates under 501(c)3 non-profit status. CityFlight is produced in print, online and in person by a dedicated operations team and an incomparable all-volunteer editorial staff of nearly 90 individuals. www.CityFlight.com
Note to editors:
For press passes, interview requests, nominee biographies and photos, please
contact Toni Beckham | PR@CityFlight.com
| 408.499.3664