On Monday, December 15, The Amsterdam News celebrated their 105th Anniversary at the Edison Ballroom benefiting the Amsterdam News Educational Foundation. The night’s honorees included: Jay Hershenson accepted the Education Award on behalf of the City University of New York (CUNY) for their nearly 170 years of educating New Yorkers, Doug Davis, Founder and owner of The Davis Firm, received the Entrepreneur Award for his philanthropic work as an entertainment lawyer and sports agent; Hazel Dukes, President of the NAACP New York State Conference, received the Wilbert A. Tatum Spirit Award for her legacy as a fighter for civil rights and dedication to human rights; Alexander Smalls, Restaurateur and Executive Chef of Minton’s and The Cecil Restaurant, received the Legacy Award for regenerating the Harlem Renaissance constantly through his work; Ken Sunshine, President of Sunshine Sachs, received the Friendship Award for his decades of civil rights activism and dedication to helping the Amsterdam News throughout the years.
Attendees included: legendary entertainer Harry Belafonte, music mogul Clive Davis (father of honoree Doug Davis), former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, the Rev. Al Sharpton, NBC News president Deborah Turness, NBA superstar Roger Mason Jr., Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burress, and Steven Prescod, who was awarded a full scholarship to a CUNY school of his choice to complete his college diploma.
The gala’s star-studded honorary committee included Jon Bon Jovi, Naomi Campbell, Leonardo Di Caprio, Omar Epps, Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, Tyler Perry, Hon. Charles B. Rangel, Barbara Streisand and Harvey Weinstein.
The night was celebrated in style straight out of the 1920s with a Harlem Renaissance theme that included casino style gambling, tap dancing presentation, surprise historical guests, and live music thanks to the Minton’s 13 piece orchestra.