MAYOR DAVID DINKINS, REP. CHARLES RANGEL, HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

HARRY BELAFONTE exemplified fearless activism. Aside from being the outstanding entertainer he was, his receiving of the NAACP Spingarn Award, our highest honor, displayed another pertinent piece of his life's passion — humanitarianism. A civil rights trailblazer, Harry Belafonte stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as his trusted confidant, during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, Belafonte played an active role as one of the organizers for the March on Washington. Mr. Belafonte continued on to be quite vocal on matters of civil injustice around the world, creating an international legacy for his humanitarian ideals.

The Black Stars News 2015 Annual Awards Dinner will honor Mayor David Dinkins, Rep. Charles Rangel, Rep. Yvette Clarke, R. Donahue Peebles, Barbara Arnwine, Inez Barron, Sabrina Lamb, Dr. Rudy Crew, Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones, and the Central Park Five survivors of gross injustice on December 18 from 6:00pm –10:00pm at MIST Harlem, 46 West 116th Street

“Each honoree chosen for recognition has demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision in her or his respective profession or endeavor and in some significant measure has contributed towards creating a more just society in this country,” says Black Star News founder and publisher Milton Allimadi. “Obviously much work needs to be done here and around the world.”

The gala starts at 6:00pm with a cocktail hour to be followed by the dinner and awards ceremonies. There will be musical entertainment by opera singer Cassandra Douglas and from harmonica phenomenon William Galison. David Dinkins is honored for Lifetime Achievement

— he was New York City’s first African American mayor and also welcomed Nelson Mandela to the city after his release in 1990.

Rep. Charles Rangel, also honored for Lifetime Achievement, has served in Congress since 1971. He is a recipient of The Bronze medal for helping save soldiers behind enemy line during the Korean War council district in Brooklyn, succeeding her mother, Una S.