Acclaimed Actors Courtney B. Vance and LaChanze, Verizon Chaiman & CEO Hans Vestberg to Receive National Urban League's Highest Equal Opportunity Honors
Virtual Dinner Hosted by Hill Harper Features Performances by Dazz Band, Kathy Sledge & Loose Ends
NEW YORK – Emmy and Tony Award-winning actors Courtney B. Vance and LaChanze and Verizon Communications Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg are among the honorees for the National Urban League’s 65th Equal Opportunity Dinner, Thursday, October 21, the second to be held virtually.
Musical performers include the Grammy Award-winning Dazz Band, British R&B band Loose Ends featuring Jane Eugene, and Kathy Sledge, a founding member of legendary disco group Sister Sledge.
Actor, author, and civil rights advocate Hill Harper is master of ceremonies for the event, which is chaired by Cynthia H. Bowman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion and Talent Acquisition Officer, Bank of America.
Special guests include actress and Grammy Award-winning singer Celia Rose Gooding, Chicago Urban League President and CEO Karen Freeman-Wilson, and Sorraya Sampson, President and CEO, Urban League of Westchester County.
Sarah Jakes Roberts, bestselling author and Co-Pastor, The Potter's House at One LA and The Potter's House Denver, will offer a spiritual message.
The National Urban League’s top fundraiser for the year, the event honors stellar corporations, individuals and organizations that have championed the principles of equal opportunity, civil rights, and social justice. Proceeds from the dinner allow the Urban League Movement to serve two million people annually through its network of 91 affiliates nationwide.
Mr. Vance received Emmy Awards for his portrayals of George Freeman in the 2020 HBO series Lovecraft Country and Johnnie Cochran in the 2016 FX limited series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He earned the 2013 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play with his role as James "Hap" Hairston in Lucky Guy. He recently appeared in the National Geographic's limited series Genius: Aretha. Married to actress Angela Bassett, he is President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Board of Directors and is an active supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
LaChanze won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as Celie Harris Johnson in The Color Purple and the 1991 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Ti Moune in Once on This Island. Her performance in the television musical event Handel’s Messiah Rocks earned her an Emmy Award in 2010. She and her daughter Celia Rose Gooding made history in 2019 as the first mother and daughter to perform on Broadway at the same time, with LaChanze starring in A Christmas Carol and Gooding starring in Jagged Little Pill. She also receives the Arts Award.
Mr. Vestberg, who assumed the role of Verizon Communications CEO in August 2018 and Chairman in March 2019, was a founding member of the International Telecommunications Union Broadband Commission for Digital Development, where he led climate-change and digital-health initiatives. He is past chairman of the Swedish Olympic Committee and a current member of the Leadership Council of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, where he helped author the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He will receive the President’s Award.
The preshow, featuring specialty cocktails and a live ‘80s Concert Jam, begins at 6:15 pm, Eastern Time. ‘80s attire is encouraged. Livestream of the dinner begins at 6:30 pm, Eastern Time. Registration is free and available HERE.
WHO: Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Courtney B. Vance, Emmy and Tony Award-winning Actor
LaChanze, Emmy and Tony Award-winning Actress
Hans Vestberg, Verizon Communications Chairman and CEO
Master of Ceremonies Hill Harper, actor, author, and advocate
Friends & Supporters of the National Urban League
WHAT: 65th Annual National Urban League Equal Opportunity Dinner
WHEN: Thursday, October 21, 2021, 6:15 p.m. Eastern Time
FREE REGISTRATION: https://nationalurbanleague.salsalabs.org/eod65_free/index.html
WATCH THE LIVESTREAM: https://nul.org/event/65th-annual-equal-opportunity-dinner