By California Black Media Staff
Seventy Black Women will be “crowned” when the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CABWCEI) presents the 2024 California Trailblazers Hall of Fame Awards Celebration. The event will be held at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre in L.A. on June 14 at 6:30 p.m.
“The Trailblazers Hall of Fame Awards honor and celebrate the remarkable achievements of California Black Women who have made significant contributions in their respective fields,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, CABWCEI president and CEO.
“These trailblazers serve as inspiring role models and catalysts for positive change in our communities,” she said.
CABWCEI is a non-profit that is focused on impacting and improving the lives of Black Women and Girls throughout the state by partnering with corporate, social, not for profit and advocacy organizations to develop programs and initiatives designed to dismantle systemic and economic barriers Black women and girls face.
The Trailblazers Hall of Fame Awards is the first program that highlights Black Women leaders from various parts of California. Honorees will receive an award and a bejeweled crown to represent their royalty and authority, said Todd Griffin.
Cedric “The Entertainer” and his wife Lorna Kyles, event co-chairs, will kick off the show. In addition, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, and other dignitaries will attend the ceremony.
The evening will consist of three segments: A VIP Reception where more than 32 women will be recognized; an Awards Ceremony that will honor more than 38 Legacy Trailblazers and include top entertainment; and an Afterparty with acclaimed deejays, dancing, signature drinks and hors d’oeuvres. For tickets, visit TrailblazerHallofFame.eventbrite.com.
Honorees are from multiple disciplines ranging from advocacy, corporate and civil rights to legal, entertainment and labor. They have all significantly impacted and improved the lives of Black Women and Girls throughout the state.
Inaugural events were held in 2022 in both Northern and Southern California and honored 100 women, including individuals such as Bass, U.S. Congressmember Maxine Waters (D-CA-43); Tia Orr, Executive Director, SEIU California; Crystal Crawford, Executive Director of the Western Center on Law and Poverty; and Yolanda Richardson, CEO, San Francisco Health Plan. This year’s event will combine both regions.
The California Trailblazers Hall of Fame Awards Celebration supports the work of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute which focuses on improving the lives of Black Women and Girls by uplifting their voices and the issues that impact them. CABWCEI has three core programs – The CA Black Women’s Think Tank, Conversations for Black Women and Protect Black Women and Girls.
2024 CA Black Women’s Trailblazer Hall of Fame Awardees include:
- Advocacy:
- Erica L. Manuel
- Dr. Medell Briggs-Malonson
- Mia McNulty, Ed.D, M.Ed., MPA
- Pamela Sparrow
- Shay Franco-Clausen
- Business:
- Celeste M. Alleyne
- Daysha Underwood
- Kellie Hawkins Davis
- Pamela Bright-Moon
- Sarah R. Harris
- GenNow:
- Dr. Autrilla “Sheba” Gillis
- Bilen Mesfin-Packwood
- Carissa Smith
- Hon. Dr. Khaleah Bradshaw
- Khea Pollard
- Mae Gates
- Molly Watson
- Legacy:
- Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs
- Arlan Hamilton
- Azizza Davis Goines
- Barbara J. Calhoun
- Hon. Cheryl Brown
- Hon. Cynthia Sterling
- Hon. Dorothy “Dottie” Smith
- Evette Ellis
- Fran Jemmott
- Glenda Gill
- Hon. Heather Hutt
- Ingrid H. Hutt
- Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker
- Kameale Terry
- Dr. Karen D. Lincoln
- Kendra Lewis
- Kim Carter-Tillman
- Kimberly A. Washington
- Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither
- LaNiece Jones
- Latressa Wilson Alford, JD
- Hon. Lori Wilson
- Hon. Mia Bonta
- Nolice Edwards
- Regina Lawless
- Renata Simril
- Sandi Cook
- Sandra O. Poole
- Shawn Ray White
- Hon. Dr. Shirley Weber
- Tamala Lewis
- Tammy Tumbling
- Tanya Hart
- Hon. Tina McKinnor
- Hon. Yasmine Imani McMorrin
- Yolanda “Cookie” Parker
- Yvonne Wheeler
- Hon. Dr. Akilah Weber
- Philanthropy / Community
- Abena Bradford
- Darlene Futrel
- Dawn L. Brown
- Ellen Nash
- Jennifer Powers
- Kimberly Ellis
- Latasha Thompson
- Shameka Beaugard, MSW
- Tavia Jenkins
- Tia Delaney-Stewart
- Tresla Gilbreath
- Political/ Government
- Hon. Katrina Manning
- Hon. Dr. Gethsemane Moss
- Dr. Nkiruka Catherine Ohaegbu
- Wanda L. Williams
For more information, visit www.CABlackWomensCollective.org
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