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
