The most memorable moments of the Phoenix Awards in 2021 National news

The Black Parliament of Congress celebrated 50 years of its annual legislative conference (September 12-17), and BET was given the honor of broadcasting its annual Phoenix Awards.

The awards are given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to society and equality in black communities. This year’s winners were notable for their struggle to protect and improve the civil rights of black Americans, especially the right to vote.

The evening began with a town hall with a host Grio‘s April Ryan. The longtime White House correspondent and author set the tone from the start: We are here to celebrate how far black Americans have come, but there is still a powerful way. From the creation of the CBC with only 13 members, to today’s Colombian meeting with 4 times more members, the expansion of political influence, Ryan noted, unfortunately means that some of the government is actively working to disenfranchise blacks and profits that are have been hard earned in the last 60 years.

The President of the Black Information Network was included in the panel of the mayor’s office, Tony Coles; Chief Communications Officer of Procter & Gamble, Damon Jones; Chief Executive Officer of DoSomething.org, DeNora Getachew; and MSNBC activist, educator, organizer, writer, and analyst, Brittany Packnet Cunningham.

The theme # ALC50, Black Excellence Unparalleled: Pressing Onward in Power, recognized the role of black artistic expression in culture and society, and the award certainly had its share of incredible musical performances. Of course, the political significance of creating a black agenda, honoring black voices in democracy, and protecting blacks were key topics. Here are seven of the many highlights of the evening.

9. Wayne Brady Execution “Change will come”

Five-time Emmy Award-winning show host and singer Wayne Brady impressed with the performance of Sam Cook’s anthem. People may not remember, but in 2009 a version of Brady’s song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

8. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III

Secretary Austin is a retired four-star U.S. Army general. The West Point alumnus is also the first African-American to serve as Secretary of Defense. He was born on January 22, 2021. He was the first African-American to serve as Secretary of Defense.

He accepted the award on behalf of all US servicemen, saying: “In order to maintain America’s security in today’s world, we must attract the full, diverse range of talents and skills and prospects that our country has to offer. And this is not just a matter of principle, it is also a matter of national security. “

7. LadiesSing “Everything for you”

Everyone knows that Lady can sing. And this performance of the song, which won a Grammy this year for R&B’s best traditional vocal performance, made sure everyone was reminded of how talented she was. Ladies has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and she has published memoirs describing how perseverance has led her to greater success.

6. Angela Bassett as a host

She is the on-screen embodiment of what it means to be a powerful black woman, and Bassett uses his position, whether as a director, producer or activist, to tell the stories of blacks with dignity. The beauty also graduated from Yale with dozens of awards, including a Golden Globe Award, seven NAACP Image Awards and an Screen Actors Guild Award.

5. Fashionable performance of “Free your mind”

“Prejudice, I wrote a song about it, do you want to hear it? Here it is. Some of us remember when the Funky Wilds appeared in “Vivid Color” on the Fox show, which inspired the comedy line that presents the anthem of anti-racism. The band is widely considered one of the best female bands of all time and has sold 30 million albums so far. The band looks and sounds just as amazing today as when they re-introduced the world to the women who sing a cappella in popular music.

4. The President Joe Biden

On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Group Congress, the 46th President of the United States recalled that the founding of the CBC came only a few years after he was elected a senator from Delaware. Biden vowed to be firm in his pursuit of justice for all Americans with the CBC, calling the group the Conscience of Congress.

He said: “Now is the time to eradicate systemic racism, which still haunts our laws, our institutions and our culture. That is why the first executive order I signed was that each individual government agency focus on (racial justice.) Now is the time for a moral response to heal the soul of this nation, to ensure that black Americans are fully immersed in the economy and society, which they have built and shaped for centuries. (Vice President Harris) Kamala and I have been focusing on this since we took office. Providing more than $ 4 billion to historic black colleges and universities, nominating multiple black judges in the district court and federal appeals courts at a record high rate, and reducing black poverty in America by 38 percent.

3. Chaka Khan sings “I am every woman”

The queen of funk brought him home for everyone with her top hit “I’m Every Woman”. It was a really appropriate inclusion – Black Women is the demographic that made the Biden / Harris administration a reality, and the voices of black women kept the House of Democrats and made it so that the Senate did not have a Republican majority. As the Republican Party in almost every state in the Union has passed or is trying to pass laws that hamper the voices of blacks and women, Chuck Khan’s vote helped inspire more joy on the evening, when people were reminded that much work remains to be done.

2. Vice President Kamala Harris

A graduate of Howard University, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a former U.S. senator from California who is now the 49th vice president of the United States. Vice President Harris is the highest-ranking female official in US history, as well as the first African-American and the first Asian-American vice president. Of course, while he was a senator, Harris was also part of the CBC.

1. Former State Representative of the GA Stacey Abrams

The politician, who barely failed to become the first black woman to be elected governor, was awarded the Congressional Black Caucus Body Award. Abrams launched Fair Fight, an organization dedicated to ensuring that every American has a voice in the electoral system. Accepting her award, she made it clear that the struggle would continue.

She told viewers: “Receiving the Phoenix Award is a signal that the work we are doing on voting rights and the 2020 census matters. But this distinction would not have been made without the support of members of the Black Parliament of Congress who are working to reach communities on the margins that too often remain behind, doing the work of eliminating the need to vote alone. , but voting for our future and doing the work of repelling the big lie, but also the smaller untruths that are said too often about the value of our votes. It is always an honor for me to be in solidarity with the CBC, to work together to fight together and to defend our democracy together. “

Honorable mention: Malcolm Jamal Warner

While viewers were never able to see the show’s announcer, the 80’s children everywhere – and people who are fans of the Cosby show – recognized Malcolm Jamal Warner’s sounds. The child star, turned into an actor, director, producer, musician and writer, shows roles that help tell the fuller story of black life in America by the Reagan administration. It was a pleasure to hear it as part of an evening celebrating the lives of blacks and blacks innovations.





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