Houston Area Urban League 50th Anniversary Equal Opportunity Gala was recently held at the Hilton Americas. There were 1,000 guests who joined gala co-chairs John Mingé, Calvin C. Guidry and honorary chair Mayor Sylvester Turner at the Houston Area Urban League’s annual Equal Opportunity Day Gala – “Honoring Our Past … Impacting Our Present…Shaping Our Future.” The sold-out gala served as a power-packed backdrop for the organization’s 50th anniversary of serving Houston’s underserved and disadvantaged.
- Guests were treated to performances by Grammy award winner Regina Belle, National recording artists Ruben Studdard, Chris Walker and Emmy award winning producer Ernest Walker and the Ernest Walker Band.
- The unforgettable evening, raised more than $1.2 million to continue the Urban League’s work in the Houston community for the next 50 years and beyond.
- The evening sizzled with a dance tribute to the Urban League’s five decades. Representatives from the group’s board, guild and young professionals raised the roof as they grooved to the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s:
- 1960s: Clarese & Cary Yates
- 1970s: Pam and Robert McKay
- 1980s: Marianna and Terry Roberson
- 1990s: Bobby Scott and LaTesha Thompson
- 2000s: Chelsi and Phillip Yates
- KPRC’s Khambrel Marshall emceed the evening that honored the Urban League’s half century of service to Houston and culminated in recognizing three outstanding community contributors and leaders for their tireless work and efforts to improve the lives they touch:
- Ruth Simmons, President Prairie View A&M University – Honoring our Past Legacy Award Recipient
- Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, Business Owner and Philanthropist – Impacting our Present Living Legend Award Recipient
- Roynell Young, Founder/CEO Pro Vision Academy – Shaping Our Future Empowerment Award Recipient
Guests included: Dr. Ruth Simmons, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, Roynell Young, Susan Dio, Linda Padon, Richard Campo, Scott Schwinger, Jerry Martin, Judson Robinson, III, Peter & Joanne Linden, Iris Cross, Winell & Doug Herron, Terry & Joycelyn Williams, James & Shavonda Harris, Krystn Page, A.Martin Wickliff, Jr., Ryan Colburn, Byron C. Stevenson, Don G. Hudson, Donald Bowers, Doug Coughlin, Ernest Peeples, Gilda Ramirez, Herman Burroughs, Jasmine Turner, Karen Hofmeister Kerrick Henny, Laurie Vignaud, Marian Harper, Marilyn Boss, Marina Coryat, Michelle Lev, Morris Smith, Pamela McKay, Ralph D. West, Sherman Lewis II, Spring Williams Cox, Terry W. Roberson, Victor Lofton, Walter Strickland, Yolanda Green Barnes
About the Houston Area Urban League: The Houston Area Urban League, founded in 1968, is a United Way agency affiliated with the National Urban League whose mission is to help African Americans and other minorities to secure economic self-reliance, parity and civil rights. As a voice for poor and disadvantaged people of all races, the Houston Area Urban League has a long and distinguished record as an agency that offers tangible, lasting benefits to all members of the community without regard to age, sex, race, physical limitations, or ethnic background.
