ABOVE PHOTO: Lifetime Achievement Award winner, dancer and model Jody Watley on stage with Patty Jackson.
By Kharisma McIlwaine
Each year WDAS honors women for their outstanding work in the community, and this year’s 8th Annual Women of Excellence luncheon presented by WDAS and Xfinity did just that.
The luncheon was held at The Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, with the festivities beginning just before noon. Attendees entered the ballroom with music provided by DJ Doc B. They were welcomed to a sea of joy as friends, family and colleagues embraced, reminisced, and took pictures before finding their seats.
Minister Nakia Brown led the room in prayer at the start of the program. The ladies of WDAS, Loraine Ballard Morrill, director of news and community affairs, Philadelphia Region for iHeart Media Markets Group; WDAS radio personalities Mimi Brown, Frankie Darcell and Patty Jackson took center stage as the hosts of the event. They were joined by Ebonne Leaphart, VP of local media development at Comcast to offer welcome remarks.
Mimi Brown and Katherine Gilmore Richardson
This year’s program honored an incredibly diverse group of women exhibiting excellence in their respective fields. The list of honorees and local sheroes included: honoree Katherine Gilmore Richardson, honoree Paralee Knight, sheroe Lurline Jones, sheroe Victoria Best, honoree Alex Holley, sheroe Bonnie Earl, honoree Dyana Williams, sheroe Alana Lee and honoree Kathy Sledge. This year also honored Grammy Award winning singer, Women Songwriters Hall of Fame member, Billboard magazine Lifetime Achievement Award winner, dancer and model Jody Watley.
After a brief introduction, each honoree and sheroe took to the podium to share their gratitude for their awards and to share words of encouragement with the attendees. Paralee Knight, a VP and senior social impact and sustainability specialist at Wells Fargo and board chair of World Cafe Live, offered attendees this reminder and call to action, “You are enough. Sometimes the more they underestimate you the better, because they’ll never see you coming until you get there and once you do arrive, move in silence again. Move around, push past more no’s and pop up again on the next level—I plan to see you there.”
Bonnie Earl
Lurline Jones, civil rights trailblazer and basketball coach, now 80 years old, shared her gratitude for the honor, thanking her children and everyone in attendance for their support.
“I just want to thank you,” Jones began, “The opportunity of giving back… I’m just so happy that I can pay it forward. All of you in here had something to do with my life. You know it takes a village and all of you have been my village. You have given me the impetus to go on and continue. I thank WDAS… I thank you.”
Fox 29’s Alex Holley with co-anchor Mike Jerrick with her guests.
Fox 29 anchor Alex Holley shared her gratitude for her 10-year tenure in Philadelphia and the welcome Philadelphia gave the Texas native. She also thanked her family who were in attendance, including her 94-year-old grandfather and her co-host and Philly favorite Mike Jerrick.
“I want to thank Fox 29 for plucking me out of South Carolina, for giving me the space to fully be myself on TV and for plopping me down next to my partner and crime Mike Jerrick.” Holley said.
She urged Philadelphians to stay encouraged adding, “I want to say three things that keep me going… I call them my three p’s. The first one is positivity… you have to hold onto that. My mother every morning before I walked out the door for school [said] ‘don’t let anyone take your joy’. So, Philly, I know it’s tough right now but we’re going to figure it out, as we go through the violence and everything that’s happening… but don’t let anyone steal your joy or the joy that we have in this city. The next is purpose. Remember why you’re here and if you don’t know yet spend the time trying to figure out. What is your destiny? Why are we here? What can we be doing? And then plan.”
Frankie Darcell and Dyana Williams
Legendary radio and media personality, pioneer, visionary and honoree Dyana Williams who spent a decade at WDAS in the 80’s, expressed her gratitude for the work WDAS does and continues to do in the community and offered her gratefulness for the other honorees and sheroes, former and present.
“WDAS holds a very special place of love and distinction in my life.” Williams said, “I saw Blondell Reynolds Brown earlier and told her I’m honored to be in the same class with you. The women that have gone before, the Mary Masons, the Louise Williams Bishops—we must say their names, we must remember them. If it were not for them, I would not be standing here with you today, currently celebrating 51 years as a broadcaster in this city, around the country, on TVOne’s “UnSung” where I am an executive producer as well as on-air talent. I am filled with so much emotion right now in this moment.”
Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge accepted her award by bringing the crowd of attendees to their feet to sing the anthem, “We Are Family” with her before sharing her thank yous. “I’m truly honored to be here. I want to say, there is such a spirit of sisterhood in this room. I did write a speech, but I don’t need to say it because you can feel this. You can feel the lifting up and embracing of each other.” Sledge said.
Feelings of unity and sisterhood continued to permeate the room as each award recipient shared heartfelt words of wisdom. Woman of Excellence Legend Award honoree Jody Watley entered the room to a standing ovation. She accepted her award with grace while sharing lessons she learned during her career that spanned five decades.
“I think tenacity is my middle name. A lot of people are born with talent, but lack the discipline, the professionalism and yes, the tenacity. Again, that’s part of what got me here today—occupational stamina and mental toughness. I learned early on the skill of navigation and focus and understood that not everyone will like you and that’s ok… again you keep it moving” Watley exclaimed.
She continued, “I spent three years on Soul Train when my family moved to California, a brief but impactful five and a half years with Shalamar, and being a part of that body of work, with songs that people still love today and almost 41 years solo. It’s crazy to me because when you add all that up, it’s like a half a century and it doesn’t feel that way. It’s important to note that though because in a business that is not always kind to young girls coming up, and women and as you get older, navigating all of those dynamics—it’s not easy at all. It’s a business that can often ruin spirits, it can rob people of their souls and it can totally take your confidence if you let it. I’ve never let it! So today, in this moment, to be the recipient of WDAS’ Women of Excellence Legend honor is more special than I can even really say.”
After the award ceremony concluded, attendees enjoyed live performances from Kenya Vaun, Jon B and October London.
The Women of Excellence Luncheon remains one of the most positive and uplifting events in the city of Philadelphia. Anyone in attendance is undoubtedly looking forward to next year’s luncheon. If you’ve never attended, be sure to mark your calendars for next year so you can be in the room where it happens!
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