For the past 13 years, General Motors African Ancestry Network (GMAAN) has held a Black History Month Program that aims to increase awareness of the GM brands; focusing on its ties to the community, African American culture and community leaders.
The GMAAN Black History Month Program draws approximately one-thousand people annually and is a much-anticipated community event that highlights and honors black excellence.
This year’s honorees included:
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Barbara Whitaker, retired GM executive, Chairman and CEO of Diversity Connections LLC.
- Career Achievement Award—Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, President, Detroit Chapter National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
- Excellence in Medicine Award – Dr. Clarence B. Vaughn, medical doctor specializing in oncology.
- Community Enrichment Award – Tarence Wheeler, founder and CEO of the Tarence Wheeler Foundation.
- Inspiration Award – Dr. Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, Assistant Professor, Departments of Family Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan.
- Entrepreneurial Spirit Award – Nailah Ellis-Brown, Founder and CEO of Ellice Infinity LLC.
- Marketing Excellence Award –Deborah Wahl, Chief Marketing Officer, Cadillac.
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This year’s event featured: Master of Ceremonies John Henry, Dominican-American entrepreneur, investor and host of Viceland’s unscripted series, HUSTLE, co-produced by Cadillac; a fire-side chat with Yvonne Orji, Nigerian-American actress, comedienne, writer, and star on HBO’s comedy series Insecure; musical guest Dr. Karen Clark-Sheard, four-time Grammy, multiple Stellar and GMA Dove award winning vocalist, songwriter and entrepreneur; and, musical performance by Brandy, multi-platinum, Grammy award winning R&B/Pop singer and actress.