The Rev. Al Sharpton, Judge Greg Mathis and R&B trio the O’Jays will be among the African-American achievers to be honored for their hard work with a 2011 Trumpet Award in January.
The awards ceremony will be held in Atlanta on Jan. 29 with a banner list of honorees slated to receive the esteemed award. Now in its 19th year, the annual black-tie awards ceremony will be hosted by Nicole Ari Parker, Boris Kodjoe and Niecy Nash at Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
“We have come so far since we started this project and I am very grateful to those individuals who saw the vision and who have worked with us for nearly twenty years,” Xernona Clayton, founder, president and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation said in a statement. “We are overjoyed to bring this event to the world and to celebrate the achievements of those who had an impact on our community.”
The three-day event leading up to the awards ceremony will commence on Jan. 26 with various activities including a Race Relations Symposium, a tea and a prayer breakfast. Also, footsteps of 10 new revered civil rights icons will be added to Atlanta’s International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in conjunction with the Trumpet Award activities.
Created in 1992, the Trumpet Awards celebrate and honor African-American achievers and those who support the African-American experience. The award honors achievement in many diverse fields including medicine, business, law, politics, community service, civil rights, sports and entertainment. Sharpton will be recognized in the field of civil rights, Mathis will receive the Humanitarian Award, and the O’Jays will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The event is televised annually and is shown over 185 countries across the globe.
For more information on the 2011 Trumpet Awards, visit: www.trumpetfoundation.org.