17th Unccommon Height Gala

You created a road where there was none.

Toyota proudly salutes Stacey Abrams for her commitment to social justice.

It takes a person with insight, drive, and empathy to make an impact like yours, and in the process, you’ve inspired others to follow suit. Congratulations on being an honoree of the 17th Uncommon Height Gala and the recipient of the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Award.

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ncnw chair & 7th national

President

Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph.D. Dear NCNW Family and Friends: Welcome to the 2021 Uncommon Height Gala. I am profoundly grateful to each of you, my colleagues in the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), our honorary co-chairs, Kenneth and Andrea Frazier, our Gala Chair, Dawna Michelle Fields, Affiliates Chair Dr. Thelma T. Daley, the entire NCNW Executive Committee, our many supporters, and sponsors who have made this evening’s event possible. The highlight of tonight’s program is the presentation of the Crystal Stair Award to our treasured community activists,

Ms. Kathryn Chenault and Mr. Kenneth Chenault. In the words of our iconic leader, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, this award is given to an individual who has “the ability to extend far above and beyond oneself to achieve greatness.”

In my capacity as the 7th President and Chair of NCNW, I represented NCNW and experienced some memorable moments such as speaking to thousands who gathered on the National Mall August 28, 2021 for the 58th anniversary of the historic March on Washington. Indeed, for NCNW, 2021 has been a year filled with challenges associated with the current state of our country and our world. It has also been a year in which we have recommitted ourselves to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, women’s rights and health equity.

Three years ago when I was elected the 7th President and Board Chair of the National Council of Negro Women, there were two goals that I challenged us to meet. The first is to make sure that NCNW would be present at the table whenever social justice is discussed.

I can report to you that we have been in the forefront of the most challenging issues of our time. These issues include protection and expansion of the right to vote, virulent police misconduct, the assault on the Capitol of democracy and the scourge of family violence and human trafficking. No one

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17th uncommon height gala

President

Johnnetta Betsch Cole., Ph.D. could fully anticipate the tragic loss of human life and potential brought on by COVID-19, but NCNW did pivot in the Spring of 2020 to become one of the nation’s foremost voices for vaccination and health equity – having built Good Health WINs, a network of trusted voices that includes more than 33 organizational partners and a reach of more than three million people.

As I accepted the responsibility to serve as NCNW’s 7th President, I also called for our organization to become more intergenerational. As our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune once said, “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.” To support our emboldened wings as they soar toward their full potential, we established the Youth and Young Adult Affairs Committee, the Committee for the Future, a Human Trafficking Committee and a national Health Equity Committee.

In 2021, we will establish a Social Justice Committee. These working groups will assure that the voices of younger people will be heard and supported.

There is a rich legacy that has been bequeathed to us by our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and all of the presidents of NCNW: Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, Vivian Carter Mason, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, Dr. Barbara L. Shaw, and Ingrid Saunders Jones. Our duty is to protect, preserve and transmit that legacy to future generations.

In 2021, we celebrated eighty-five years since our founding in 1935, with Critical IDEAs – a tribute to the work and philosophy of our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. We look forward to additional growth in our National Headquarter staff in 2022. NCNW is on a journey to the future. We do not know all that the future holds, but we are confident that we are building an organization that will stand the test of time.

Onward!

Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph.D National Chair and 7th Preseident

17th uncommon height gala

Chair

Dawna Michelle Fields GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME. A wise man once said, “you are blessed the moment you realize that you already are.” In this season of giving thanks and voice to our blessings, I am honored to serve as the Gala Chair of this year’s Uncommon Heights Gala and to join you in celebrating the National Council of Negro Women Incorporated.

We gather virtually this evening, recognizing that not even a global pandemic could prevent us from lifting up NCNW and its more than eight decades of service to women of African descent, their families, and communities. We celebrate those who embody our mission of leading, developing, and advocating for women’s rights and social justice.

We also embrace NCNW’s members, affiliates, sections, friends, and sponsors who have contributed so generously to its noble legacy.

Tonight, let us give thanks for NCNW’s Chair and President, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, for her passionate

leadership and focus on the promise and potential of future generations.

We are grateful for our Executive Director, Janis Mathis, Esq., and our dedicated staff who labor every day to advance our mission.

NCNW is indebted to the Honorable Secretary Alexis Herman, who serves as the host of the 17th Uncommon Heights Gala. Her dedication to a life of public service and the principles this organization stands for has helped enshrine its legacy and ensure its future.

We are also blessed to have Andréa and Kenneth Frazier serving as our Honorary Co-Chairs. Their generosity, support, and values reflect those of our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, our past presidents, and our leader of fifty years – Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. The Fraziers, like NCNW, work tirelessly to ensure that all God’s children have opportunities to reach higher heights.

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Bright Smiles, Bright Futures congratulates

National Council of Negro Women, Incorporated on their

17th Uncommon Height Gala

Because every child deserves a future they can smile about!

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17th uncommon height gala

Chair

Dawna Michelle Fields

And then, there are our esteemed honorees. Pioneers, trailblazers, ceiling shatterers, and groundbreakers. Tonight, we are thrilled beyond words to present; • The Crystal Stair award to

Kenneth Chenault, former CEO of American Express, and his wife, Kathryn Chenault, a devoted philanthropist, child advocate, and former attorney.

• We are also introducing a

new award – named after our very own founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. On behalf of NCNW, Ms. Oprah Winfrey will present the Bethune Award to Ms. Stacey Abrams, Founder and CEO of Fair Fight, and our North Star, pathfinder, and fivestar general in the pursuit of social justice and voting rights.

organization, NCNW moves forward under the leadership and vision of Dr. Cole, with Dr. Bethune’s charge to provide love, faith, hope, and responsibility for youth ringing in our collective ears. Care and service – as exemplified by Dr. Bethune and Dr. Height – are our heritage, and they continue to be the beacons of light guiding us to a long and productive future.

Thank you and enjoy the evening!

Dawna Michelle Fields Gala Chair, 17th Uncommon Height Gala Vice Chair, National Council Women, Inc.

Again, we thank you – our sponsors, members, performers, and friends – everyone involved in making this a night to remember. As an

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OUR PEOPLE .

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17th uncommon height gala

HONORARY

Co-Chairs Kenneth and Andrea Fraizer Kenneth C. Frazier is the Executive Chairman of Merck’s board of directors, a role he began in July 2021, following his retirement from a decade-long tenure as Merck’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

As a strong advocate for social justice and economic inclusion, Ken is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Anti-Defamation League Courage Against Hate Award, the Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics from Columbia Business School, the Legend in Leadership Award from the Yale School of Management, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund National Equal Justice Award, and the National Minority Quality Forum’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, Ken received the Harvard Law School Association Award.

Andrea Frazier was born on September 21, 1956, in Harlem, New York to Wilhelmina Young and James Wilkerson. Frazier attended John H. Finley Elementary School and Manhattanville Junior High School before graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1974, where she participated in the youth symphony orchestra. She then attended Tufts University and graduated from there in 1978 with her B.A. degree in political science with a concentration in international studies. Frazier subsequently received her M.A. degree from The City University of New York in 1980.

Andrea Frazier has also served on the advisory board for the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music located in the Musician’s Village in New Orleans, Louisiana.

She and her husband have two children, Lauren and James, and reside in Newton, Pennsylvania.

Ken received his bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

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17th uncommon height gala

CHRYSTAL STAIR

Awardees

Kenneth and Kathryn Chenault Kenneth J. Chenault

has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company since 2001. He joined the company in 1981 as Director of Strategic Planning and served subsequently in a number of increasingly senior positions, including Vice Chairman and President and Chief Operating Officer, until his appointment as CEO. Mr. Chenault serves on the Boards of IBM, The Proctor & Gamble Company, The Harvard Corporation and numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, the Smithsonian Institution’s Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, and the Bloomberg Family Foundation. He is also is a member of the Business Council and serves on the Executive Committee of the Business Roundtable as well as the Partnership for New York.

Kathryn C. Chenault has devoted many years to supporting the arts, educational and health care institutions. She currently serves on several Board of Directors, including The Hospital for Special Surgery, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Pratt Institute, among others.

Her tireless commitment to the welfare of young people is often demonstrated through her support of numerous scholarship funds and her development of mentoring programs with diverse educational institutions. Kathryn and her husband Kenneth also have an active role in supporting The Harlem Children’s Zone, a non-profit, community-based educational organization.

Most recently, Kathryn was invited by the First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray to serve on the Gracie Mansion Conservancy Board of Advisors. She is also honored to serve as a member of the Design Advisory Team for the Obama Presidential Center.

Kathryn holds a JD from NYU School of Law and a BA in political science from Tufts University. She and her husband live in New York with their two sons.

Mr. Chenault holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in history from Bowdoin College. He has also received honorary degrees from several universities and awards from a wide variety of civic, social service and community organizations.

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RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLE One of the eight core values of The Home Depot is respect for all people. We value the diversity represented among our associates, customers and suppliers.

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17th uncommon height gala

DR. MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE

Awardee Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams is a political leader, voting rights activist and New York Times bestselling author. After serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Democratic Leader, in 2018, Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, winning at the time more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Abrams was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States, and she was the first black woman and first Georgian to deliver a Response to the State of the Union.

change. She has been a featured speaker at the Aspen Ministers Forum, the Kerry Initiative-Yale Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, the National Security Action Forum and The German Marshall Fund, as well as a contributor to Foreign Affairs Magazine.

She currently serves on the boards of several organizations including the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Center for American Progress, and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association.

Abrams is the author of Lead from the Outside, Our Time is Now, While Justice Sleeps, in addition to eight romantic suspense novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery.

Abrams received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and Yale Law School.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and were raised in Georgia.

Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Diversity.

As a Next Generation Fellow of the American Assembly on U.S. Global Policy and the Future of International Institutions, she also served as a discussion leader, editor, and essay contributor. As the topranking Democrat in Georgia, she traveled to and met with leaders in South Korea, Israel and Taiwan, and she worked closely with several members of the consular corps. Abrams is a member of former Secretary of State John Kerry’s World War Zero bipartisan coalition on climate

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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND.

Proud to support the National Council of Negro Women Uncommon Height.

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P R O G R A M WELCOME The Honorable Alexis Herman, Host Former Secretary of Labor & NCNW Executive Board Member OPENING REMARKS DAWNA MICHELLE FIELDS Chair, 2021 Uncommon Height Gala SPECIAL GREETINGS Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole NCNW Chair & 7th National President “LIFT EV’RY VOICE AND SING” Lyrics by James Weldon Johnson Music by Rosamond Johnson INVOCATION Dr. Barbara Skinner NCNW YEAR-END REVIEW Janice L. Mathis PRESENTING PREMIER SPONSOR Alva Adams Mason Toyota Motor North America, Inc. PERFORMANCE Ken Ford PRESENTATION OF THE DR. MARY McLEOD BETHUNE AWARD TO STACEY ABRAMS Oprah Winfrey BREAK PRESENTATION OF THE CRYSTAL STAIR AWARD Kenneth And Kathryn Frazier INTRODUCTION Krystal Ramseur NCNW Chief Operating Officer ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ariana Brazier, Sharah Denton and Arion Jamerson CLOSING The Honorable Alexis Herman FINALE - SPUR OF THE MOMENT

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Throughout Black History Month and beyond, we celebrate Black Joy. Its beauty. Its brilliance. Its variety. Its tenacity. Its resilience. Its ability to thrive despite everything.

The power of Black Joy truly knows no bounds... it’s a Joy Supreme.

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Celebrate a Joy Supreme with us at aarp.org/blackcommunity

R&B ARTISTS

Spur of the Moment In a volatile industry where passions wax and wane, the trends of today become the clichés of tomorrow, and bands split as quickly as they capture the world’s heart. Over the past two decades, Spur Of The Moment has bucked the odds, transcended the usual ups and downs, and inspired thousands of fans across the world with a vibe that continues to define the word band. The list of artists that have worked with this immensely talented unit grows yearly. Their resume reads like a “who’s who” of the R&B and Jazz worlds. From the

AMERICAN JAZZ VIOLINIST

Ken Ford

Ken Ford was born in St. Louis, MO, Ken grew up in Detroit, MI and Atlanta, GA – and with his dad being a DJ – indulged in bringing all the voices of the violin to life, surrounded by the sounds of jazz, blues, classical, and R&B music. In his school years in Atlanta Ken was a founding member of the DeKalb Youth Pops Orchestra, and worked his way to the honored position of Concert Master in the African American Philharmonic Orchestra (AAPO), where he had the rare opportunity of performing for the late, great Barry White.

With a soul-stirring, extraordinary artistry that has captivated diverse audiences everywhere, including a standing ovation from an audience of over 20,000 at the renowned Sea Breeze Jazz Festival among other

legendary George Duke to Al Jarreau, Patti Austin and Lalah Hathaway. “What drives us to continue is the fact that…we’re all about getting out there and sharing what we do… There’s always something exciting still to accomplish.

Every career has its ebbs and flows, and we’re fortunate to still be around, doing what we love to do – making people happy with our music!”

accolades, Ken Ford continues to plant the seeds for any music lover to discover violin on a whole new journey with him in concert and on his latest album State of Mind. Whether sharing the power of music teaching kids through the Ken Ford Foundation or weaving through his audience bringing the vibrant sounds of the electric violin up-close to concert-goers, Ken continues “Living in the present moment” bringing his lifelong passion for music to others, changing their State of Mind about the violin in a symphony of lush, enchanting melodies.

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Airbnb is proud to support our partner, the National Council of Negro Women, and this year’s Uncommon Height Gala.

We salute tonight’s honorees—Stacey Abrams on receiving the inaugural Mary McLeod Bethune Award and our Board Member, Ken Chenault, and his wife Kathy—on receiving the Crystal Stair Award.

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History

national council of negro women, inc.

The National Council of Negro Women has a sustained and rich history as an advocate for women of African descent and their families. On December 5, 1935, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune invited leading women from across the nation to a meeting in New York City to form the National Council of Negro Women. Her vision was to create an umbrella organization to bring unity among African American women’s organizations to advocate for selective causes.

Today, eighty-five years later, 32 national women’s organizations, 191 community- based sections and life member guilds, 82 college sections, 32 youth sections, and numerous individual members form this great organization which Dr. Bethune envisioned and led as its first president for fourteen years.

In 1949, Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee became the second president, followed by Vivian Carter Mason. In 1957, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was elected national president and served for five decades. Actually, she began her association with NCNW under the mentorship of Dr. Bethune in 1937.

Barbara Shaw and Ingrid Saunders Jones carried the presidential roles following Dr. Height’s death.

NCNW has impacted the lives of women of African descent and their families in a

myriad of areas, including health, education, economic empowerment, self-development, public policy, and leadership development.

The breath of its reach is both national and international. History notes such unprecedented achievements as sponsoring the S.S. Harriet Tubman (1994), the first liberty ship named in honor of a Black woman; breaking barriers to get Black women in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC); and Dr. Bethune being an integral part of the Founding of the United Nations, leading NCNW to be one of the first groups to gain NGO status with the United Nations. The NCNW's extensive litany has featured international programs in Benin, West Africa; in Senegal, Uganda, and Eritrea. Whether it is the pig- bank in Mississippi, the Black Family Reunion, or a host of other domestic programs, NCNW is a powerful catalyst in effecting change in the status of Black women.

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, elected President in 2018, brings an enviable history, great wisdom, vision, and energy, with a commitment to the past and a powerful design for the future. Today, the organization focuses on civic engagement, STEAM education, financial literacy, technology, entrepreneurhip, and economic stability. NCNW is positioned to be a mighy force for the future.

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Thank you for making such a�positive impact in our�community Inspiring people and mobilizing resources to address critical issues is a significant achievement. We’re�proud to recognize the work your organization does in our community�—�making a difference in so many people’s�lives.

Let’s join together in saluting the 17th NCNW Uncommon Height�Gala.

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P R E S E N T I N G

D I A M O N D

S P O N S O R

S P O N S O R S

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Coca-Cola Company Colage Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Comcast

P E A R L

S P O N S O R S

AARP Airbnb Delta Home Depot Wells Fargo G O L D

S P O N S O R S Meta

S I L V E R

S P O N S O R S

American Federation of Teachers AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition (BLACC) Disney Jackson Lewis McKissick & McKissick PIXAR

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Even when the road was rough, it didn’t slow them down.

The innovation journey is one with twists, turns, and roadblocks. Still, you haven’t let those challenges deter you from bringing your ideas to life. Your passion has taken your business to new heights while continuing to serve the community.

That’s why Toyota proudly salutes Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault as recipients of the Crystal Stair Award.

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©2021 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.