media

Atlanta Media Pioneer to Headline King Awards Luncheon

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Program, represents a commitment to the legacy of Dr. King, and recognizes those individuals in our community who have helped to keep his dream alive. This year will be the 41st anniversary celebration of the Dr. King Awards Program. Bloomington-Normal's Dr. King celebration is one of the longest continuous running programs in the country.

Nominations for the 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards are due by Tuesday.Winners will be announced and awards will be presented at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Luncheon on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center. 

Tickets for the 2017 luncheon honoring Dr. King are available from City of Bloomington and Normal Human Relations Commission members. Tickets may also be purchased at Bloomington and Normal city halls. Single tickets are $20. Reserved tables are available.

This year’s guest speaker will be broadcast journalism pioneer Monica Pearson, who in 1975 became the first minority and first woman to anchor the evening news in Atlanta, Georgia. Over a 37-year career with WSB, the CBS network affiliate in Atlanta, Ms. Pearson won numerous journalism and humanitarian awards, including 33 local and regional Emmy Awards.  In March 2012, the bipartisan Georgia delegation to the U.S. Congress honored her on the floor of the U.S. House as "a true pioneer and a trailblazer in television news."

'Black Eagle' Keynoter at NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet

Joe Madison, civil rights activist and preeminent African-American radio host known as “The Black Eagle,” is keynote speaker for the Bloomington-Normal Branch of the NAACP's Freedom Fund Banquet, Sept. 19 at Bloomington's DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Center.

The event starts at 7 p.m., preceded by a 6 p.m. social hour.

Takesha Stokes of Bloomington will be presented the Roy Wilkins award for her dedicated service to the NAACP, including serving as first vice president, Freedom Fund Banquet chair, and 2014 State Convention chair.

Another local award recipient will be Bloomington Police Chief Brendan Heffner, who will receive the Merlin Kennedy Community Service award in recognition of his efforts in building a stronger community-police partnership in Bloomington.

Tickets for the Freedom Fund Banquet are $50 for adults, and $25 for youths under 12. For information or to purchase tickets, contact Takesha Stokes 309-242-5827 or Chemberly Cummings at 216-570-0549.

Madison, a radio host on SiriusXM's Urban View channel, served as executive director of the Detroit NAACP at 24. He describes himself as "doggedly progressive," having worked on voter registration efforts and led marches and demonstrations to end the genocide in Darfur.

Last year, Joe Madison received the Freedom Flame Award presented by the Selma, Alabama, Bridge Crossing Jubilee Commission, and was named Outstanding Media Personality at the 104th Annual NAACP Convention. Madison has been selected as one of Talker Magazine’s top 10 talk radio personalities for 10 consecutive years and he is the only African-American to be listed in the “talented tenth.”