Juneteeth awards ceremony celebrates five individuals

The Black Legacy Partners and the NAACP in honor of Juneteenth presented five prestigious individuals with awards. The honorees, from politicians to business owners to academics, received recognition for their contributions to their community and to society as a whole.

David Paterson, former governor of New York, was the first African-American governor of New York and the country’s first legally blind governor. He is currently the senior vice president and advisor for Las Vegas Sands.

Paterson was honored on June  18 with the John Lewis Social Change Award for his inclusive approach to politics, working to aid disadvantaged New Yorkers throughout his career.

“We wish to fulfill the dreams of our ancestors, both the living and the dead, who struggled unremittingly and courageously to build a national movement that was directed to achieve economic, political, and social justice,” Paterson said. “That is what we stand for, and I hope we’ll never stray from it.”

Chaplain Ingrid Lewis-Martin is the chief adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Her passion for her community and dedication to public service earned her the Shirley Chisholm Community Activism Award.

“I am the first chief advisor to a mayor ever, and I’m a woman of color, but I don’t want to be the last chief advisor to the mayor, and I want to see a black woman as mayor of the city of New York,” she said. “We have to push for it and do what we believe in.”

Derek Peterson, founder and CEO of Soter Technologies, was given the Global Impact Award. His company created FlySense, a vape detection and anti-bullying device, that has been implemented in over 3,000 school districts across the country and world, according to the Soter website.

“It’s a privilege to be honored by my own people in my community,” he said.

Nigel W. Gretton, director of Performing Arts at St. John’s University, was presented with the Creative Artist of the Year Award. He implored the crowd to “support, celebrate, and uplift the arts,” which he said are often underfunded and underestimated, especially in schools.

Sophia Forbes, owner of Tropical Jerk & Seafood Restaurants, received the Long Island Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Her cousin Yvette Allen accepted the award on her behalf. The restaurant has several locations, including one on Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale.

The award ceremony, held at the Joysetta and Julius Pearse African American Museum of Nassau County in Hempstead, was a partnership between the Black Legacy Partners, a collaboration of Black professionals, and the NAACP.

“Tonight we celebrate not only the historic significance of [Juneteenth], but also the achievements and the contributions of those who have dedicated their lives to advancing the cause of social justice.” Barbara Powell, president of the NAACP Hempstead Branch, said. “We are honored to recognize our distinguished awardees whose outstanding work has made a lasting impact on our communities.”

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when news of emancipation reached the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas. It was made a national holiday in 2021.