Morris Day and Jerome Benton of Morris Day and The Time perform onstage during the 2022 Soul Train Awards presented by BET at the Orleans Arena on November 13, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

The Soul Train Awards 2022 presented by BET and hosted by award-winning comedian and actor Deon Cole, featured a lineup of unforgettable performances including special moments and appearances by some of the brightest stars in Black culture and entertainment. 

The event kicked off with the “Soul Train Awards Red Carpet Special,” with hosts Tank covering the Main Stage, Letoya Luckett on the Correspondent Stage, and Novi Brown (“Tyler Perry’s Sistas”) in the Walmart Lounge. Beyoncé led the night with three wins for Album of The Year, Song of the Year and Best Collaboration with Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers. 

Trailblazing 90’s R&B supergroup Xscape was crowned Lady of Soul at this year’s Awards. The award was presented to them by their legendary producer and So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri, who spoke fondly about knowing the group was destined for stardom when he met them. 

Xscape embodied elegance as they graced the stage and  accepted the award. The group  performed some of their biggest hits, including “My Little Secret,” “Who Can I Run To?,” ''Tonight,” and fan-favorite “Just Kickin It” with surprise guest Jermaine Dupri, to which the audience bumped, grooved, and sang along word for word. Xscape ended their performance with their powerful ballad, “Understanding.”

Iconic funk brand Morris Day & The Time closed out the night with the Legend Award, presented to them by JB Smoove. After reflecting on the group’s success, and their days collaborating with Prince, Morris Day & The Time accepted the award and expressed profound gratitude. The group then brought their blend of funk and soul to the stage, performing a medley of their classic hits including “Cool,” “777,” “Jungle Love,” and closing out with crowd favorite “Bird,” keeping the audience on their feet dancing until the last note.

Here is the complete list of Soul Train Awards 2022 winners:
 
Best New Artist
Tems  
 
Certified Soul Award
Mary J. Blige          
 
Best R&B/Soul Female Artist
Jazmine Sullivan  
 
Best R&B/Soul Male Artist
Chris Brown         
 
Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
Maverick City Music X Kirk Franklin          
 
Song of the Year
Break My Soul  -    Beyoncé
  
Album of the Year
Renaissance     -     Beyoncé
 
The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award
Hrs & Hrs  -  Muni Long
 
Best Dance Performance
About Damn Time  Lizzo

Best Collaboration
Make Me Say It Again, Girl     -    Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers Feat. Beyoncé
 
Video of the Year
Smokin Out The Window  -   Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, Silk Sonic

Watch an encore airing of Soul Train Awards 2022, Sunday, November 27 at 8 PM ET/PT and Thursday, December 1 at 9 PM ET/PT on BET. The Soul Train Awards 2022 will air internationally on BET Africa on Sunday, November 27 at 3:00 CAT, BET France on Thursday, December 1 at 20:45 PM CET. The show will also be available to watch on My5 and Sky On-Demand in the UK beginning Thursday, December 1.

On this fourth Thursday in November many will gather with family and friends for a sumptuous meal with all the trimmings. We will enjoy a Thanksgiving Parade and football game as we wait in anticipation for Black Friday sales and the Christmas shopping season. For others the reality of the challenges of life --- food insecurity, housing insecurity, illness, debt and loss of loved ones make this day difficult to navigate. Let's be mindful of that. 

The Thanksgiving holiday, as many have been taught, is based on a mythical dinner between Native Americans and Pilgrims. As with many American traditions, we have drifted so far away from the original intent that we basically just enjoy the day off from work or school without consideration of its origin or purpose. In the case of Thanksgiving that is a good thing. To the indigenous peoples of America, Thanksgiving, like Columbus Day is traumatic as it was not peaceful but violent and resulted in the death of their ancestors. Let's be mindful of that. 

As history is being whitewashed and in some cases erased, it is ever more crucial that we teach ourselves and our children the truth outside of their traditional classroom. So, know the facts about Thanksgiving. Continue to express gratitude and enjoy your time with family and friends even if you are trash-talking each other about a football game or a game of bid whist. 

Family is the foundation of our community. We thank you for joining us in this movement as we strengthen our family bonds for future generations. Give Thanks every day. Asé. Amen.

More than 200,000 fans are expected in South Florida for Rolling Loud Miami 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium.

It's that time of year again; Rolling Loud, the world's largest hip hop music festival, will be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens from July 22 - July 24. Rolling Loud Miami Friday night headliner, Kanye West, is no longer performing this year and has been replaced with Kid Cudi. Future and Kendrick Lamar are the headliners for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The 2022 Rolling Loud Tour includes Rolling Loud Toronto on September 9 - September 11 at Ontario Place and Rolling Loud New York on September 23 - September 25 at Citi Field. There were previous Rolling Loud 2022 stops in Portugal and the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.rollingloud.com.

This evening, the Religious Affairs Committee of the Miami-Dade Branch NAACP will continue with their series on local religious leaders, Meet the Pastor.

This episode’s special guests are Rev. Dr. Jimmie L. Bryant, Senior Pastor and Lady Estella King-Bryant of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Liberty City. You don’t want to miss this lively, educational, engaging and motivational conversation. Pastor and Lady Bryant are inarguably one of the most forward-thinking religious couples around.

• When: TONIGHT, July 11, 2022, 7:00 PM ET 
• Where: Via Zoom & Facebook Live 
• ZOOM Meeting ID: 853 4173 4135  Passcode: 640493 
• Facebook Live: @MiamiDadeNAACP

As Americans witness the advancement and passage of laws making it more difficult to vote throughout the nation, the Miami-Dade Chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is hosting an important symposium on Sunday, February 20, 2022, 6 PM ET, “Voting Rights Act-The Power of Now: Why it’s important to you!” This virtual event is designed to educate, inform, mobilize and empower voters.  Visit https://tinyurl.com/36e6a7dj to pre-register for the event. 

The NPHC is a collaborative council of Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities informally known as the “Divine Nine.” These organizations have historically played a significant role in fighting for civil rights in America and in Get Out The Vote initiatives. 

Laura Coates will lead this conversation on voting rights. She is a CNN senior legal analyst, SiriusXM talk show host, attorney, author and college professor. Other panelists are Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (AKA), State Senator Shevrin Jones (ΑΦΑ), State Representative Christopher Benjamin (ΩΨΦ), Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Bar Association Trelvis Randolph (ΦΒΣ), and Vanessa Woodard Byers (ΑΚΑ), creator and editor of Blogging Black Miami. 

Don’t miss this lively, engaging and informative discussion Sunday,  February 20, 2022, at 6 PM ET. Join the conversation by pre-registering at https://tinyurl.com/36e6a7dj. 

Dr. Keietta Givens (ΔΣΘ) is president of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the NPHC. 

The South Florida Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College will present their "All That Jazz" 2021 Virtual Scholarship Fundraiser and Live Auction on Sunday, June 27, 2021, 3 PM ET.

Event co-hosts are Spelman alumnae Christie Grays Chambers, commercial realtor and founder of I am CHIC, and Betty Davis, Chief Meteorologist, WPLG-10.

You can win exquisite items while empowering the next generation of global women leaders in the liberal arts, sciences, and business.

Since 1881, Spelman College has produced notable alumnae such as Stacey Abrams, Alice Walker, Rosalind Brewer, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Esther Rolle, Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Marian Wright Edelman, and Bernice King.

RSVP at sfnaasc.org.

On Sunday, June 6, 2021, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated made history with the chartering of a new chapter serving Wellington and the Western Communities in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter is the first African American organization actively involved with community service in the Village of Wellington.

The South Atlantic Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Carolyn Gause Randolph of Columbus, Ga., was the chartering officiant for the ceremony that was held in the Grand Ballroom at the Village of Wellington Community Center. Fifty-two college-educated and professional women are now forever recorded in the annals of the organization as charter members.

Prior to becoming a chartered chapter, this group of women formed the Crowned Pearls of Wellington Interest Group and set out to address needs among the disadvantaged black and brown populations in the Western Communities of Palm Beach for more than a year.

"Our mission is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women to improve social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of service to all mankind." Chapter President Geneva Pettis-Hassell explained, "We are committed to helping each other and positively impacting the communities in which we live and work."

Despite the pandemic, The Crowned Pearls of Wellington Interest group served their community by hosting and assisting with providing food for healthcare professionals at Wellington Regional and Palms West Hospitals, voter registration efforts, donating, and volunteering with Feeding South Florida food drives, collecting and distributing toys and backpacks. The group also hosted a virtual college fair, supported a fund-raising effort to raise funds for historically Black colleges and universities, and mentored students participating in the Village of Wellington's Students Working to Achieve Greatness (SWAG) program more.

The group's volunteer and community efforts are consistent with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's Incorporated motto, "Service to All Mankind."

Notable Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated members include Vice-President Kamala Harris, U.S. House of Representatives Member Frederica Wilson, Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Award-winning Film Director Ava DuVernay, International Tennis Player and Professional Golfer Althea Gibson, First Female Astronaut Mae C. Jemison, Actress Phylicia Rashad, Civil Rights Leader Coretta Scott-King, Author and Poet laureate Maya Angelou, Inspirational Speaker and Author and Lawyer Iyanla Vanzant.

Pictured above from left: Alma Henry-Morman, 1st Vice-President;Marcia Rowe Hayden, Vice-President of Operations; Carolyn Gause Randolph, Regional Director of the South Atlantic Region; and Jenny Pettis-Hassell, President

Juneteenth Unityfest, a star-studded live streamed event presented by the Robert Randolph Foundation (RRF) is designed to commemorate and celebrate the Juneteenth holiday. GRAMMY™ Award-winning artists India.Arie and Ledisi have been added to the lineup.

Hosted by actress and author Amanda Seales and comedian JB Smoove, Juneteenth Unityfest will include musical performances by: Robert Randolph, Earth, Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, India.Arie, Darius Rucker, Dave Matthews & Carter Beauford, Ledisi, Black Pumas, Aloe Blacc, Keb’ Mo’, Bebe Winans, Khruangbin, Phony Ppl, Judith Hill, Jimmie Allen, Korean Soul, The Soul Rebels, and Greg Phillinganes, with more acts to be named soon.

The show also features guest appearances by: Phylicia Rashad, Billy Porter, Jon Hamm, Van Jones, Wayne Brady, Holly Robinson Peete, Aisha Tyler, Craig Robinson, Zach Galifianakis, Gail Devers, Lynn Nottage, Jason Wright, Krystal Mackie, Zina Garrison, Wilson Cruz,Roger Guenveur Smith, LeVar Burton, Ms. Opal Lee, Adesola Osakalumi, Baratunde Thurston, and Jesse Williams.

Throughout the program, many community organizations and HBCUs will be highlighted. Some of the over 35 partners include:  HBCUs Benedict College, Fisk University, Lincoln University and Mississippi Valley State University; community organizations: Heal America, AARP Pennsylvania, The Africa Center, The African American Museum of Philadelphia, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, beGirl.world, The Hip Hop Caucus, The HollyRod Foundation,  The Links, Incorporated, The Muhammad Ali Center, Reel Works, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Usher’s New Look, We Are Family Foundation, the Zina Garrison Foundation, and UNCF.

One of the most controversial legislative sessions in Florida, in recent memory, has concluded and the Connection Committees of Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter and Alpha Alpha Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated are presenting a virtual legislative wrap-up on key bills from the 2021 Legislative Session. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 10, 2021, via Zoom.

The Connection Committee is the civic engagement arm of Alpha Kappa Alpha. For this community presentation, they have joined forces with the Miami-Dade Branch of the NAACP and the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association.

Panelists are State Senator Jason Pizzo (Dist. 38); State Rep. Dotie Joseph (Dist. 108); State Rep. Christopher Benjamin (Dist. 107); and State Rep. Felicia Robinson (Dist. 102). Dr. Cassandra Arnold and Dr. Tisa McGhee will serve as moderators.

Key bills to be covered include:

• HB 1: Combating Public Disorder
• SB 90: Elections
• HB 7051: Law Enforcement and Correctional Officer Practices
• HB 7045: School Choice
• HB 1463: Department of Economic Opportunity

Don’t miss this opportunity to get informed. A well-informed citizenry is vital to our survival as a democracy. To register, visit http://akagzo.org.