Emmy Award Winner Wayne Brady to Host and Perform at 2021 EBONY Power 100 Awards

EBONY today announced that Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY nominated actor, singer, comedian, and television personality Wayne Brady has been tapped to host the 2021 EBONY Power 100 presented by Verizon. The multi-hyphenate talent, who will also give a special performance during the show, will receive the Vanguard Award for his outstanding achievements to American culture, whose body of work in the performing arts spans three decades as a consummate, all-around entertainer and performer. To be held in Los Angeles on October 23rd, the star-studded awards ceremony will honor the remarkable achievements of African-Americans across industries and marks the culmination of EBONY’s 75th anniversary year.

Additionally, EBONY rounded out this year’s POWER 100 list unveiling that it will honor five-time GRAMMY winners, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees, and legendary songwriting and music production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their unparalleled contributions to music. Widely recognized as crafting the “Minneapolis sound” along with Prince, the iconic pair’s impressive body of work extends across four decades of undeniable classics and chart-topping hits for some of the world’s biggest artists including Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, George Michael, Boyz II Men, New Edition, Mary J Blige, Michael Jackson, Sounds Of Blackness and Yolanda Adams and countless others. This summer, the duo released their chart-topping debut album Jam & Lewis, Volume One.

Both Wayne Brady and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis will receive honors as part of the Special Awards category. They will join this year’s illustrious group of recently announced Special Awards recipients including: talented, young actress Storm Reid (Rising Star Award); viral immunologist and lead scientist of the Vaccine Research Center’s coronavirus team at the National Institutes of Health Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett (Innovator of the Year); Hip hop icon and entrepreneur MC Lyte (Trailblazer Award); NFL Hall of Famer and head football coach for HBCU school Jackson State University Deion Sanders (Game Changer of the Year); Red Table Talk creators and hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris (Entertainer of the Year Award) and P&G Executives Marc Pritchard, Damon Jones and Stephanie Headley (Corporate Citizen Award).

Power 100 will feature performances from Deon Jones, Justin Skye, Erica Campbell and Lucky Daye with GRAMMY Award-winning musician, producer and writer Adam Blackstone serving as Music Director for the evening. Following the show, DJ Aktive will provide music for the official afterparty.

To kick-off the weekend, EBONY will also host a pre-reception event on Friday, October 22nd with DJ M.O.S.

“With this year’s EBONY Power 100, we knew we had to come back in a big way. Our 2021 honorees represent a diverse collective of leaders, trailblazers and powerhouse creatives in their respective industries and areas,” said Michele Ghee, CEO, EBONY & JET. “With Wayne Brady at the helm as host, I know that we are creating what will be an exciting, unforgettable evening of celebration and a milestone for the new EBONY as we culminate our 75th Anniversary!”

In 1971, EBONY first introduced the “Most Influential Black Americans List”, which evolved into the annual EBONY Power 100 List. Extending beyond its format in previous years, the 2021 EBONY Power 100 Awards Ceremony and Gala will celebrate 75 years of serving the Black community, showcasing the stories and achievements of Black people in all areas of American society and culture and will include feature award presentations in multiple categories, live performances and surprise stage moments.

Spanning 10 categories, please see the full 2021 EBONY Power 100 list below:

Entertainment Powerhouse: Andra Day, Regé-Jean Page, Anthony Mackie, MJ Rodriguez, Liesl Tommy, Tessa Thompson and John David Washington

Music Impact: Big Freedia, Erica Campbell, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Derrick “D- Nice” Jones, Lil Baby, Questlove, Joi Brown, Jeanine McLean-Williams, Rapsody, Anderson Paak and Travis Scott

Social Justice Champion: Rep. Cori Bush, the CROWN Coalition (Kelli Richardson Lawson, Esi Eggleston Bracey, Orlena Nwokah Blanchard, Adjoa B. Asamoah and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell), Erica Ford, Darnella Frazier, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Shaun King, Keith Meadows, Brittany Packnett and Senator Raphael Warnock

Excellence In Journalism: Don Lemon, Abby Phillip, Charles Blow, Tamron Hall, W. Kamau Bell, Tomi Adeyemi, Ebro Darden and Nischelle Turner

Ceiling Breaker: Thasunda Brown Duckett, Rosetta Bryson, Rashida Jones, Harvey Mason Jr., Fawn Weaver, Miriam Vales, Karine Jean-Pierre, Letitia “Tish” James and Melanie Boulden

Social Justice Champion: Rep. Cori Bush, the CROWN Coalition (Kelli Richardson Lawson, Esi Eggleston Bracey, Orlena Nwokah Blanchard, Adjoa B. Asamoah and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell), Erica Ford, Darnella Frazier, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Shaun King, Keith Meadows, Brittany Packnett and Senator Raphael Warnock

Excellence In Journalism: Don Lemon, Abby Phillip, Charles Blow, Tamron Hall, W. Kamau Bell, Tomi Adeyemi, Ebro Darden and Nischelle Turner

Ceiling Breaker: Thasunda Brown Duckett, Rosetta Bryson, Rashida Jones, Harvey Mason Jr., Fawn Weaver, Miriam Vales, Karine Jean-Pierre, Letitia “Tish” James and Melanie Boulden

Game Changer: Shaquille O’ Neal, Francis Ngannou, Lewis Hamilton, Sydney Michelle McLaughlin, Stephen A. Smith, Brehanna Daniels and Maya Moore

Innovation Leader: Beatrice Dixon, Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant, Isaac Hayes III, Joy Buolamwini, MC Hammer, Dr. Patrice A. Harris, Dr. Angela D. Reddix, Tanya Van Court and Arlan Hamilton

Community Builder: Regina Jackson, Trae the Truth, Missionary Ellen K. Clark, Eunique Jones Gibson, Emil Wilbekin, Alice Marie Johnson, Dr. Kendell Jasper and Kainon Jasper, Brandon McEachern, Darryl Perkins and Marcus Allen and Deon T. Jones

Breakthrough Creators: Nae Nae Twins, Coodie & Chike, Brandice Daniel,
Chad Easterling, Imani Ellis, Brandon Pankey, Demetria Lucas, Patrick “Fresh” Henry, Law Roach and Misha Green

NextGen: Nicolas Johnson, Noah Harris, Nia DaCosta, Cheick Camara, Chloe & Halle Bailey Jon Moody, Ermias Tadesse, Zaila Avant-garde and Amanda Gorman