12TH ANNUAL FORD FREEDOM AWARDS CELEBRATES AFRICAN-AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS
DETROIT, Mich., April 29, 2010 – Two of the nation’s most influential and successful African American entrepreneurs will be honored at the 12th annual Ford Freedom Award program on Thursday, May 6. The late John H. Johnson, “The Empire Builder” and Usher Raymond IV, “The Dream Maker” will be recognized for their outstanding achievements and groundbreaking accomplishments. The day-long event includes a scholar’s lecture for more than 1,500 invited middle school students beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Detroit’s Music Hall and a ticketed evening gala and program at 6:00 p.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
John H. Johnson, founder and publisher of Johnson Publishing, producers of Jet and Ebony magazines, will receive the Ford Freedom Award posthumously; and Usher Raymond IV, famously known as “Usher” and chairman and founder of Usher’s New Look Foundation, has been named the Ford Freedom Award Scholar. Kevin Frazier, weekend anchor and correspondent of Entertainment Tonight, and local WXYZ-TV host Chuck Stokes will once again serve as emcees of the evening gala.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, in partnership with Ford Motor Company, launched the Ford Freedom Award program in 1999. The concept of the program is to create a forum to celebrate and recognize individuals whose achievements brought lasting and positive change for African Americans and the world.
The Ford Freedom honoree is presented posthumously to a distinguished African American who has dedicated their life to improving the African American community and the world at large through their chosen field. The Ford Freedom Award Scholar is presented to an African American who has excelled on a national or international level in the field of the Ford Freedom Award Honoree. The Scholar serves as a living legacy that has furthered those achievements for a new generation.
The Award program consists of the Scholar’s Lecture, the Ford Freedom Award Essay Contest and Ford Freedom Gala Reception. For additional event information and tickets, call 313-494-5800 or visit
Celebrate Earth Day this weekend with the GreenBliss Group as they Present Urbane: A Green Networking Expo at 1400 Porter Street
Detroit – GreenBliss Group along with local and national sponsors will hold a two day Green Networking Expo in Detroit’s Historic Corktown April 22-23, 2010 at 1400 E. Porter Street. The kickoff ceremony will start at 12:30pm Thursday April 22, 2010. This year guest speaker will be Senior Policy & Communications Specialist from the U.S. Department of Energy | Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Scott Gregory Minos.
This exciting 2 day event brings together the community, local organizations, including Eco-Savvy businesses based here in Michigan. The purpose of “URBANE” is to explore, educate and inspire green living, sustainable energy and more viable lifestyles by gathering environmentally friendly services and suppliers in one place at one time to exchange the latest green information.
For more info please check out: Facebook
Detroit Restaurant Week Prelude Party: April 15 @MotorCity Casino
DETROIT RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS FOR SPRING,
Detroit Restaurant Week will be April 16-25 at 17 Downtown Detroit Fine Dining Establishments.
Historic Roma Café in Eastern Market will be the newest eatery to join the Detroit Restaurant Week (DRW) lineup when Paxahau Promotions Group dishes out a second serving of fine dining paired with exceptional value for the Spring Edition—Friday, April 16 through Sunday, April 25.
Besides the addition of Roma Café to the roster, and Spring-inspired menus to be offered by participating restaurants, the Detroit Restaurant Week winning recipe will not change.
Diners from across Southeast Michigan and Windsor will again be able to order a three-course dinner for an exceptional price of $27 per person (exclusive of beverage, tax and gratuity).
Detroit Restaurant Week Spring Edition will offer specially-priced dining at these fine restaurants:
24Grille – Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
Andiamo Detroit Riverfront – GM Ren Cen
Atlas Global Bistro – Midtown
Coach Insignia – GM Ren Cen
Cuisine – New Center
Da Edoardo Foxtown Grille – Foxtown
Detroit Fish Market – Paradise Valley
Forty-Two Degrees North – GM Ren Cen
Iridescence – MotorCity Casino-Hotel
Mosaic Restaurant – Greektown
Opus One – Downtown
Rattlesnake Club – Stroh River Place
Roast – Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
Roma Café – Eastern Market
Saltwater – MGM Grand Detroit
Wolfgang Puck Grille – MGM Grand Detroit
The Whitney – Midtown
To make a reservation, visit www.DetroitRestaurantWeek.com and click on the “Restaurant Page” to obtain contact information for each establishment. Reservations can be made by contacting the restaurants directly or through the Open Table link, which can also be found on the Detroit Restaurant Week – Spring Edition web site.
Menus for each restaurant will be available in the coming weeks.
Last fall’s inaugural Detroit Restaurant Week served-up the city’s finest dining establishments on a silver platter. It pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the greater Downtown Detroit economy in just 10 evenings. The reservation ledgers at the 17 restaurants were full about every night thanks to the more than 27,000 people who visited the establishments during the first DRW.
Detroit Restaurant Week is a collaboration of the Greater Downtown Districts – Downtown, Midtown, New Center, Corktown and Eastern Market – and the Paxahau Promotions Group.
For more info check out: Detroit Restaurant Week
Source: Facebook.com
THE 2010 SPRING SHOWCASE FEATURING ROLLS-ROYCE, MASERATI, LAMBORGHINI, & BENTLEY- APRIL 1
An unprecedented networking opportunity, the 2010 Spring Showcase Event will bring together Metro Detroit’s elite professionals
Each showroom in the venue will highlight a luxury brand including Bentley, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini, and offer food and beverage pairings sure to please the palate.
With live music, gifts and unlimited cocktails and food, this will be an extraordinary networking opportunity.
This event is sponsored by: Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley, Chen Chow & Quattro restaurants of Birmingham, The Dali Restaurant Group, The Hamilton Room of Birmingham, Valentine Vodka, Dewar’s Scotch Whiskey, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Jack Daniels Whiskey, Vitamin Water, The Cupcake Station of Birmingham, Marriott Hotel of Troy, Fusion, Bonterra Organic Vineyards, We R Love non-profit, Filmemerge.com, Zumba Mexican Grill of Royal Oak, Infinity-Ovation Yacht Charters of St. Clair Shores.
Thursday, April 1, 2010, 5:30pm – 9:00pm
The Suburban Collection, 1755 Maplelawn Drive, Troy, MI
To purchase tickets visit www.neptix.com and for questions contact SpringShowcase@gmail.com.
BLACK WOMEN ROCK! DEBUTS AT THE CHARLES H. WRIGHT MUSEUM MARCH 27-28
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History present Black Women Rock! A Tribute to Betty Davis, a multi-media live music concert, dialogue and master class to take place the weekend of March 27 and 28.
Saturday, March 27th at 8 pm, Black Women Rock! premieres in Detroit with full band performances by Imani Uzuri, Tamar Kali, Steffanie Christi’an, and renowned poet, writer and performer Jessica Care Moore.
On Sunday, March 28th at 1 pm, Care Moore and Piper Carter will lead an intimate conversation with local greats such as Monica Blaire for aspiring female musicians who write, play or sing music.
As curator, jessica Care moore is excited to introduce these strong, feminine voices to the city of Detroit. “I’ve known these artists for years. Imani Uzuri is our Nina Simone, our Bessie Smith and she’s performed all over the world. Steffanie Christi’an is a powerhouse vocalist who still lives here! It’s important for young girls to know these women exist, and to teach them how they can have successful music careers and write their own terms; in effect, define their destiny in life.”
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In 2005, Care moore produced Black Women Rock! A Tribute to Rock Icon Betty Davis in conjunction with The National Black Arts Festival to showcase young, independent women artists of color who made a living as composers, guitarists, vocalists, producers and arts educators in the genre of Rock and Roll.
These contemporary artists defy the stereotype of what a rock and roll artist looks and sounds like, and are the spiritual descendents of Betty Davis, Tina Turner, Nona Hendrix, Patti Labelle Maxanne, and Janis Joplin. These trailblazing pioneers have spent their careers fighting biases and breaking down barriers of image, politics and sexuality in the music industry. “This event will celebrate their music and inspire young women to not just be a “part” of the music industry, but to build an institution around their work,” says Care moore.
The night will also feature a collection of women in history from The Black History 101 Mobile Museum, the Museums rotunda will display an original art exhibition created by NY based painter, Renaldo Davidson who will also be in attendance. Chicago’s Marcia Jones and Detroit artist, Sabrina Nelson will provide live art both days. Sounds provided by DJ Chaka Rae.
The event will be streamed online for viewing around the world!! Both events are FREE and open to the public. For more information, please call (313) 494-5800 or jessica Care moore at: detroitbutterfly@gmail.com.
Souce: FACEBOOK
2ND ANNUAL BLACK BUSINESS FESTIVAL: FEB 26-28
The 2nd Annual Black Business Festival will be held at the Russell Bazaar, located at 1600 Clay St. The event will be hosted by hosted by WGPR 107.5 FM, Detroit Metro Times and DoDetroit.com from February 26th- 28th, 2010.
This huge, weekend long event is free to the public and being held in honor of Black History Month. Designed for all ages, the Black Business Festival will showcase the opportunities
citizens of Detroit can find when they utilize their talents for entrepreneurial initiatives. There
will be valuable and informative seminars and forums, as well as great entertainment all
weekend. It is a perfect opportunity for networking with other business owners and our city’s
leaders and talented workforce.
Seminars and Forums Highlights (Sat and Sun Only)
Keynote Speaker – Detroit City Council President, Charles Pugh. “Economic Outlook
for Growth in Detroit”
Town Hall Panel Presentation – “Starting and Growing Your Business in Detroit”. This
forum will include key community business and political leaders and will include a
question and answer session from audience attendees.
Business workshops and seminars – CEED, The Black Business Expo, the SBA and
other business groups will present a range of seminars to help businesses start and grow
in the City of Detroit.
More information on renting space for your business and up-to-the-minute seminar information
can be found at the Black Business Festival’s Web site: http://russellbazaar.com/bbf/.
DETROIT YACHT CLUB HOSTS, BACK TO THE 80′S PARTY: FEBRUARY 27
In conjunction with the Detroit Yacht Club, MeMe Design + Events presents “The Back to the 80’s Party,” on February 27th from 8p to 1 am. Evoking the era of the 80’s through décor, music, and activities, the historic ballroom at Detroit Yacht Club will be transformed into an amazing night for all ages featuring – That 80’s band – 80’s Games and Décor- Special performance by local breakdance crew-DJ Surab Deb & DJ Anthony DeLuca– And we just added DJ Phifedog in the School Daze/Breakin room. Best 80’s dressed contest – Video games from the 80’s Atari, Ms Pac man, Frogger, Donkey Kong and more! Cost is $15. Free Food and Cash Bar.
Supported by – The Detroit Yacht Club, The Display Group,KE Event Productions, After 5 Detroit, Colonial Events, The Loft Warehouse, Metromix, C-My Style Event Planning, Streetvision, Luigi Bruni Capelli Moderni, Fusion Detroit, & DJ Surab Deb, the William Malcolm Luxe Collection.
For more info check out BACK TO THE 80′S PARTY
Source: Facebook.com
DETROIT YOUNG PROFESSIONALS HOSTS THE 2ND ANNUAL VANGUARD AWARDS: THURSDAY, MARCH 25
Detroit Young Professionals (DYP) will be hosting their 2nd Annual Vanguard Awards — the special peer-recognition program created to honor the young trailblazers making a positive difference in Detroit and shaping the renaissance of our region. This year’s event will be hosted by Local 4 News Anchor, Rhonda Walker.
The Vanguard Award honors (10) noteworthy visionaries and changemakers between the ages of 20 and 40, who will be honored at a special event taking place on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at Amnesia, perched high above downtown Detroit on the 16th floor of MotorCity Casino Hotel.
Noted Honoreer include: Claire Nelson of Bureau of Urban Living; Chris Ramos of Night Move (Detroit’s first bio diesel party bus/shuttle); Fashion Designer, William Malcolm and 7 other Detroit based honorees doing great things in the City including my good friend and mentor, Scott Davis, Executive Director of The Vanguard Community Development Organization.
Please email jacqueline.northrop@detroityoungprofessionals.org with any comments or questions..Click here for more info. Detroit Young Professionals.
CONGRATS SCOTT DAVIS OF VANGUARD CDC
JOHN LEGEND LIVE @ THE MAX FISHER THEATRE: FEB. 25
Only B.L.A.C. Magazine is giving Metro Detroiters the opportunity to experience one of the hottest and most socially conscious artists of a generation-up close and personal.
Hear John Legend speak about his passion for changing the world. Hear him sing highlights from the songs that stir your deepest emotions.
Limited VIP passes available for $150. Includes premium seating and meet & greet. Available only by phone or in person at the box offfice. 313.576.5111
SOURCE: DETROITSYMPHONY.COM
