By Walter Rutledge
The NYC Black Pride 2016 Heritage Awards Ceremony will be held tonight from 6- 10pm at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Lenox Avenue West 135th Street.
This ceremony, in its 8th year, continues the tradition of honoring outstanding individuals, organizations and allies for their contributions to the enhancement and elevation of the LBGTQ community. Twenty-two categories will honor approximately thirty trailblazers. The 2016 Heritage Awards Ceremony awardees are:
HERITAGE VANGUARD AWARD: CKLife
HERITAGE ICON AWARD: Jussie Smollet
HERITAGE PIONEER AWARD: Judge Franc Perry
HERITAGE PIONEER AWARD: Richie Torres
HERITAGE TRAILBLAZER AWARD: Mya Taylor
HERITAGE GATEKEEPER AWARD: Carlos Sanchez
HERITAGE GATEKEEPER AWARD: Sharon White
SPECIAL COMMUNITY ALLY AWARD: Rosie Perez
SPECIAL COMMUNITY ALLY AWARD: Senator Bill Perkins
MEDIA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Clay Cane
FILM AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Nneka Onuorah
LITERARY AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Nathan Hale Williams
FASHION AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Tai Chunn
MUSIC AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Cakes Da Killa
MABEL HAMPTON AWARD: Bonnie Harrison, Magora Kennedy
BAYARD RUSTIN AWARD: Kalvin Laveille, Manny Rivera
MARSHA P. JOHNSON AWARD: Vivian Ponce, Lala Zannellii
JOSEPH JEFFERSON AWARD: Jason Walker, Kia LaBeija
BALLROOM VANGUARD AWARD: House of Christian, House of Princess
PARIS DUPREE AWARD: Tanay Pendavis, Onjenae Milan
BALLROOM PIONEER AWARD: Vanoy Chanel, Devin Elite
BALLROOM ICON AWARD: Bernie Jourdan Ebony
BALLROOM TRAILBLAZER AWARD: Muhammad Omni
BALLROOM GATEKEEPER AWARD: Kyle Allure, Khary Allure
BALLROOM LEADERSHIP AWARD: Michael Haynes Ebony
BALLROOM LEGACY AWARD: Eric Archibald Milan
The event is free to the public. For more information visit nycblackpride.com, and on Facebook @ NYC Black Pride 2016.
