[LOS ANGELES—June 12, 2025] Jenifer Lewis, the “Mother of Black Hollywood” preached social justice and equality in a stirring acceptance speech Wednesday night, at the Los Angeles Urban League’s gala-like star studded fundraiser held at the Skirball Cultural Center.
She was honored with the coveted “Visionary Award” at the 50th Whitney M Young Jr. Awards and Celebration. In her signature fire and brimstone style, Lewis, 68, championed the Urban League’s mission and spoke on the award’s significance, in a career filled with tributes and honors.
“Ladies and gentlemen when the Urban League called I did not hesitate to answer the call, because I knew I’d be in the presence of warriors tonight. Warriors who know who they are. Warriors unafraid…willing to stand,” Lewis told the audience. Her remarks resounded from the rafters of the Guerin Pavillion, bringing the audience to its feet numerous times as she spoke–holding on to syllables and vowels sounds in extended oratorical fashion.
In a pointed statement, targeting efforts that have attempted to turn back Civil Rights, Lewis said, “You’ll have no victory erasing our history!” Her comments captivated a night filled with brilliant musical performances and distinguished honorees.
Earlier in the night, in gracious acceptance of the Whitney M Young Jr. Award, landmark attorney and civil rights advocate George Fatheree told the crowd, “This honor has special significance to me. The award is not just about recognition, it’s a challenge to keep going.”
The other two big winners were Lakers great Norm Nixon who received the John Mack Legacy Award, and Nicole Harper Rawlins, top McDonald’s franchisee who was honored with the Trailblazer Award.
Billed as, “A Night of Unity, Justice and Healing,” six-time Grammy award winning artist BeBe Winans performed first, next October London then Doug E. Fresh closed out the night in spectacular fashion. He took the audience on a hip-hop journey from the 1980’s to modern day, showcasing the power of his lyrical beats and bars. The awards presentations were tucked in between the musical performances, along with welcoming remarks from LA Mayor Karen Bass and a fervid keynote from Los Angeles Urban League President and CEO, Cynthia Mitchell-Heard.
“Fueled by passion, resilience, innovation and economic empowerment–we embark on this new era of the Los Angeles Urban League. Our pursuit of excellence is not just about achieving goals, it is about setting a standard for what is possible when we work together,” said President Mitchell-Heard.
National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial also addressed the audience in a recorded video statement. “Good evening Los Angeles Urban League. Let me congratulate you on 50 years of your Whitney. M Young awards event. At this moment in history, the memory of Whitney Young is so important,” said Morial.
Young’s significance was artfully sprinkled throughout the venue’s walls and hallways, on banners and television monitors, which also highlighted messaging and fun facts about the Los Angeles Urban League.
Prior to the start of the show, attendees arrived in style taking part in an outdoor reception, including photos along the red carpet, with guests mingling with the stars and A-listers the LA Urban League events often bring out. More than 700 people were in attendance. Afterwards hundreds of attendees took to social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook and X to tout their approval of the event. The diversity of the audience reflected a multitude of different high points.
Some on Instagram even went as far as proclaiming it the Event of the Year. We won’t argue with that. Suffice it to say, we’ve attended enough gatherings over the years to learn that sometimes the actual event can play larger than all the hype. In this new gala-like 2025 format, we hoped it could be big and planned for it to be big, but we never expected it to be this grand. Thank you Los Angeles for your support. And thank you to our event partners and sponsors. Without you none of this would have been possible.
