Black United Fund of Illinois to Salute Young Leaders at its Event, "The Embers"

Black United Fund of Illinois (BUFI) will be celebrating the emerging generation of African American leaders at a special reception on Thursday, July 19 at their offices.  BUFI has designated 2012 “The Year of the Man, and as a precursor to their annual Living Legacy/Passing the Torch event in September, they have selected eight emerging  leaders who are making a difference in the fields of government, education, business, media and community service. They have been dubbed “The Embers” because of the power of the ember to rekindle and spread leadership within the community.  This follows BUFI’s recognition of female leadership in 2011 with the recognition of “The Flames” The 2012 Embers are Robert ‘Scoop’ Jackson, sports journalist and ESPN 2 contributor; Dr. Garrard McClendon, Emmy Award winning talk show host; Kendall Moore, host of the Kendall Moore Show on WVON and noted AIDS activist; Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Executive Director of the Schomburg Center for Black Research and Culture in New York; Cliff Rome, award winning chef, entrepreneur and owner of the Parkway Ballroom; Kurt Summers, chief-of-staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; Sharif Walker, regional director After School Matters and Carl West, columnist and founder of TruthBTold News Service. Thursday’s reception will feature a panel discussion on leadership moderated by Zondra Hughes of Rolling Out Magazine, who was recognized last year as a female leader -  Flame - by BUFI.  Joining her will be John Moultrie, restaurateur, entrepreneur and founder of iRock Jazz. Frank Pete, noted spoken word artist will also perform and the event will be followed by an after set at Norman’s Bistro.  Please call 773- 324-0494 for more information. What:             Reception hosted by Black United Fund of Illinois celebrating “The Embers” When:            Thursday, July 19, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Where:          Black United Fund of Illinois Center, 1750 East 71st St., Chicago, IL 60649 Who: Robert ‘Scoop’ Jackson, sports journalist and ESPN 2 contributor; Dr. Garrard McClendon, Emmy Award winning talk show host Kendall Moore, host of the Kendall Moore Show on WVON and noted AIDS activist Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Executive Director of the Schomburg Center for Black Research and Culture in New York Cliff Rome, award winning chef, entrepreneur and owner of the Parkway Ballroom; Kurt Summers, chief-of-staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Sharif Walker, regional director After School Matters Carl West, columnist and founder of TruthBTold News Service Zondra Hughes, Rolling Out Magazine Dr. Henry English, CEO Black United Fund of Illinois Frank Pete, Spoken Word Artist John Moultrie, Founder of iRock Jazz, restaurateur Interview and photo opportunities: Ember Honorees, the President of BUFI, Mr. Henry English, and special guest performer, Spoken Word Artist, Frank Pete. About Living Legends/Passing the Torch BUFI inaugurated the Living Legends/Passing the Torch Awards ceremony. This strategy was developed in 2001 to encourage generational continuity in business and professions, assuring a rite of succession, and eliminating the loss of our revered institutions and personal achievements. Passing the torch is a concept that means we teach and guide others as we continue to grow and fine tune our skills, ideas and strategies, and the mentors' involvement is maintained through maturity of the seeds that have been planted. These pioneers start over with each new generation. About Black United Fund of Illinois BUFI’s purpose for existing is to provide philanthropic support to projects and programs that address their efforts to the critical needs of African American communities. To date, The Black United Fund of Illinois (BUFI), has assisted over 450 other grassroots organizations and programs. These programs provide services in the areas of arts & culture, health & human services, education & service to youth, homeless & emergency needs, social justice, legal services, and economic development.