BMORENews.com  ·  April 2026  ·  15th Anniversary 15 Years of Excellence: The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards Celebrates a Legacy of Impact Since 2011, a Baltimore-born movement has traveled to nine cities, honored more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, and built something the mainstream economy rarely provides for Black business owners — a room where they belong. They did not wait for permission. No major foundation funded the first ceremony. No national organization sent a directive. In 2011, in Baltimore, a decision was made to do something that sounds almost too simple to be radical: find the people doing extraordinary work…

(BALTIMORE COUNTY – April 7, 2026) — The mission continues. On Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m., Black Wall Street WOODLAWN brings together entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders who are building, investing, and creating opportunity across Baltimore County’s west side. First, I have to thank our host, Andre Boyd, for the opportunity to showcase his facility at 6665 Security Boulevard. Alongside his wife, Boyd has invested significant time, money, and energy into creating a space capable of hosting upwards of 200 people—a true asset for the community. A member of the Boyd family basketball legacy—and the brother…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – Long before Taylor Varga was coordinating with the NYPD and helping manage one of the most iconic public spaces on the planet, they were standing in the spotlight on Broadway — earning the Best Actor award at the Jimmy Awards in 2013. That early chapter foreshadowed everything that would follow: a career built at the intersection of performance, production, and public life. Taylor’s connection to Times Square began not as a professional, but as a freshman intern at the Times Square Alliance in 2015. Something about the work — or perhaps the place…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – There are people who study injustice from a distance. And then there are people who lived it — who carry it in their bones — and chose to turn that experience into a weapon for change. John Royster is the latter. A justice-impacted individual, John Royster knows firsthand what it means to be swallowed by a system that was never designed to rehabilitate — only to contain. But where others might have been broken by that reality, John emerged with clarity, conviction, and an unshakable mission: the eradication of mass incarceration of people of…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – When you have spent years working alongside one of the most consequential civil rights voices in American history, you either fold under the weight of that legacy or you rise to carry it forward. Gina C. Williams chose to rise. A former corporate employee of the National Action Network (NAN), Gina had the rare distinction of working directly under the Reverend Al Sharpton — frontline warrior, living legend, and unapologetically controversial champion in the fight against racial prejudice and injustice. That proximity to power wasn’t a title. It was a calling. Gina answered…

Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards Continues 2026 Tour Celebrating Excellence Across Communities (BALTIMORE COUNTY – April 5, 2025) — The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards continues its landmark 2026 season with Black Wall Street MILFORD MILL 2.0, set for Saturday, April 11, from 4 to 6 p.m., honoring one of the Baltimore region’s most formidable husband-and-wife legal teams — David and Tonya Baña. Now in its 15th year, the Black Wall Street Awards has become a national platform recognizing entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders who exemplify excellence, resilience, and impact. The Milford Mill installment underscores a continued commitment…

An unidentified man was shot by local police. He was taken to hospital, but not before the people expressed disdain. Watch full video on YouTube

(NEW YORK — April 2, 2026) — In the heart of Manhattan’s Chelsea district, the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards will honor Baltimore-based fashion designer, author, and entrepreneur Jody Davis — founder of Jody Davis Designs — as she celebrates 15 years in business. The moment is both timely and intentional. “This is a natural progression,” said BMORENews publisher Doni Glover. “We honored Kevin Scott for his 25th anniversary. Now, it’s only right that we celebrate Jody. She runs her own enterprise — and she’s been doing it for 15 years. Given her love for New York and Chelsea,…

Honoree: Emanuel J. Stanley, 33° (BALTIMORE – April 1, 2026) – Emanuel J. Stanley, 33°, has built a life defined by service — to his country, his community, and a centuries-old tradition of Black excellence, brotherhood, and civic responsibility. As the 26th Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Maryland and Its Jurisdiction, Inc., Stanley served as chief executive officer of one of Maryland’s most historic and influential fraternal institutions, overseeing thousands of members statewide with international affiliations. On Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 8128 Liberty…

(NEW YORK – April 1, 2026) – Edward Harrison knows the criminal justice system not as an observer — but as someone who lived it for over four decades. A formerly incarcerated person who spent more than 40 years navigating in and out of the prison system, Edward Harrison carries a truth that no policy paper, no commission report, and no government study can replicate: the truth of a man who was there. What Edward witnessed inside those walls would shake the conscience of any taxpaying citizen — a system where the very people funded to serve as watchdogs became…