FEATURES
AWARDS PRESENTED
DURHAM, NC– In the early years of Spectacular Magazine the June issue included feature
articles on “Positive Brothers” which recognized the achievements of African American men in
the Triangle area. It was in the month of June to coincide with the organization’s Annual North
Carolina Juneteenth Celebration held in Durham on the third Saturday in June.
In 2010, with a mission to enlighten and empower, Spectacular Magazine in conjunction with
Triangle Cultural Awareness Foundation, began recognizing and honoring the achievements of
African American men with the Spectacular Magazine Man of the Year Awards.
Nominations for Spectacular Magazine Man of the Year were solicited from the
community in the designated categories. Twenty-four African American men in eight categories
were selected by the NC Juneteenth Celebration Planning Committee (Committee) as SemiFinalists in their respective categories. The Committee exclusively selects the Lifetime
Achievement recipient. Based on the results of an on-line voting process, eight of those semifinalists along with the Lifetime Achievement recipient were named at the Spectacular Magazine
Man of the Year Awards Banquet in June 2013. The black-tie Banquet was the kick-off event of
the 9th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration.
The Honorable A. J. Howard Clement III, the longest serving member of City Council in
Durham’s history and civil rights icon, was selected by the Committee to receive the Lifetime
Achievement Award. The nine 2013 Spectacular Magazine Men of the Year (one in each
of category with two for Community Service and Emerging Leader due to large number of
nominees) are featured here and on the following pages.
The 2014 Spectacular Magazine Man of the Year Awards Banquet, a black-tie affair, will
again be the kickoff event of the Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration. The Banquet will be held on
June 19th; location to be announced. Nominations for the 2014 Spectacular Magazine Man of
the Year will be accepted on-line at www.spectacularmag.com from March 30th through April
12th with semi-finalists announced on April 18th. The on-line voting period begins on Sunday
May 11th and ends at midnight on Saturday May 24th.
On Saturday June 21st the 10th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration culminates with a
festival on CCB Plaza (downtown Durham) from 1pm - 10pm. Juneteenth is the celebration
of the ending of slavery in the US. Often cited as the African American Independence Day, the
celebration of Juneteenth originates from Galveston, Texas, where on June 19th, 1865, the
word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the enslaved. North Carolina was the 26th
state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or a state holiday observance.
Just like the celebration in Texas in 1865, the 10th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration
will have plenty of fabulous food and lots of activities for children of all ages. Add ɕ