Ted Turner, Earth, Wind & Fire, Emmitt Smith and Aretha Franklin are part of the roll call for the Trumpet Awards, the annual celebration of African-American achievers and those who support the African-American experience.
Now in its 20th year, the awards, which take place Saturday afternoon at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, will showcase nine honorees, as well as a group of 17 hotel general managers for the newly created power at the front door award.
Franklin, a fixture in the news lately with the announcement of her upcoming nuptials, will accept the civil rights honor on behalf of her deceased father, The Rev. C.L. Franklin.
Others being acknowledged this year – and their respective awards – are:
- Powerhouse R&B/funk band Earth, Wind & Fire (lifetime achievement)
- Media mogul Ted Turner (Golden Trumpet)
- U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas Nicole Avant (international)
- Former NFL star Emmitt Smith and wife, Pat (humanitarian)
- Newark, N.J., mayor Cory Booker (political leadership)
- Cardiac specialist Dr. Levi Watkins (medicine)
- Rapper/actor Tyrese Gibson (pinnacle)
- CEO of Atlanta's ALL (n) 1 Security Mary Parker (business)
The Trumpet Awards, hosted this year by Wayne Brady, were created by Xernona Clayton. The idea behind the inaugural power at the front door award, she said in a statement, is to recognize a "group of individuals who have helped changed the face of the hotel industry at the front door."
The awards ceremony is being filmed and will air on WSB-TV this spring and April 8 on TV One.
As part of a series of events related to the awards, on Friday, nine civil rights honorees were added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site.
This year’s inductees are: The Rev. Willie Bolden; J.T. Johnson and the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers; The Rev. E. Theophilus Caviness; Dosan Ahn Chang Ho; Constance W. Curry; Fred D. Gray; The Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh; Charles J. Ogletree Jr.; and Walter F. Young.
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