Urban League Hosts A Legendary
Centennial Salute to Women!
On June 15, Gospel, Rock & Roll, and R& B Legends Pastor Shirley
Caesar, Martha Reeves and Eddie Levert headlined an outstanding
Centennial Salute to Women in Leadership Awards Gala for the
Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis at the Marriott St. Louis
Grand Hotel. The event was sold out with an audience of 1,300 in
attendance. At the event, Pastor Caesar received the Gospel Legend
Lifetime Achievement Award after performing moving renditions
of her hit songs “Jesus” and “It’s Alright.”
In addition to Pastor Caesar and Martha Reeves, the four
international presidents of the top African American sororities
also received Lifetime Achievement Awards for their
extraordinary civic and charitable leadership of nearly one million
female members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Sigma Gamma
Rho Sorority, Inc. Accepting awards for their respective sororities
were: Dr. Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, Beverly E. Smith, Dr. Mary
Breaux Wright and Martha Reeves. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority,
Inc.’s President Deborah Catchings Smith was honored at a
previous Salute to Women in Leadership Gala. In addition to the
aforementioned honorees, champions of media, nonprofits,
healthcare, governmental and corporate leadership were honored
including: Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairman of Urban One;
Alicia Elsner, General Manager of NBC Affiliate KSDK-TV 5,
Brenda McDuffie, president of the Buffalo Urban League, Courtney
Bryant, local CBS Affiliate News Anchor; Cynthia W. Thompson,
Urban League Woman of the Year; Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks,
Mayor of East St. Louis; Jan Holloway, Senior Vice President and
Chief of Staff of Monsanto; Karen Jones, Director II of Medical
Management for Anthem, Inc.; Kristina L. Hazley, Urban League
Guild Member of the Year; Laraine Davis, Vice President at Wells
Fargo; Evangelist Mary Tillman, Radio Announcer; Ollie Stew-
art, Executive Director of Southside Wellness Center; Sara Burke,
founder of City Studio Dance Theatre and Shirley Washington,
local Fox Affiliate News Anchor.
Shortly after the kickoff of the Gala festivities, Vanessa Cooksey,
Senior Vice President of Community Affairs for Wells Fargo
Advisors, presented Urban League President & CEO Michael P.
McMillan with a $100,000 check from Wells Fargo Advisors in
support of the agency’s Centennial Campaign Fund and programs.
In addition, Eric Madkins, Vice President of Community Develop-
ment for Region’s Bank, presented a $50,000 donation to support
the Urban League’s Centennial Campaign, Save Our Sons and
other programs.