Westchester to honor five African-Americans

Westchester County will honor five African-Americans, including one posthumously, for their professional and civic accomplishments, at the annual Black History Month and Trailblazers Award ceremony on Thursday.

The five individuals to be honored are Harry O. Bright Jr., who will receive the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, for civil rights and civic engagement; Dawna Michelle Fields, who will receive the Dr. Valiere Alcena Award, for health and human services; Michael D. Armstrong, who will receive the The Cab Calloway Award, for arts and culture; Sharon Epperson, who will receive the Madame C.J. Walker Award, for business and economic development, and Dillard Boone II, who will be given the lifetime achievement award posthumously.

The event will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 800 Westchester Ave., Rye Brook, according to a Westchester County news release Wednesday.

Bright, a resident of White Plains, has been a champion of civil rights and social justice for all Westchester residents, the release said. He served as executive director of the White Plains Commission on Human Rights from 1985 to 2003. He was also chairman of the board of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, past president of the New York State Association of Human Rights Commissions, co-founder of the White Plains Coalition for Cultural and Racial Harmony and co-founder of Embracing Diversity and Ending Racism.

Fields, a resident of Mount Vernon, has helped improve the lives of many in the county through her work to promote dental care for young people through her job as the national program manager of Colgate-Palmolive's "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures," the release said. Her community affiliations include: The Links Incorporated, Black Women's Agenda, National Council of Negro Women Inc., Sister to Sister; Black Agency Executives, African American Chamber of Commerce; National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women; the Continental Societies; Selective Corporate Internship Program; NAACP, and the Network Journal.

Armstrong, of New Rochelle, is senior vice president and general manager of BET International and Paramount Channel, part of Viacom International Media Networks. He is also a board member of Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has used his work to advocate for and provide cultural enrichment for residents of Westchester and beyond, the release said.

Epperson, also of New Rochelle, is a financial expert with CNBC TV, where she is the senior commodities and personal finance correspondent. She is also a regular contributor to NBC's Today Show and has written for many publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Self, Essence, Ebony and Time.

Boone was a resident of Mount Vernon at the time of his death on Jan. 10, 2013. A former member of the African American Advisory Board, he was the emcee at Trailblazers events in 2011 and 2012. Boone was a producer; radio host; special events coordinator; organizer of business expositions and was the founder and chairman of the A'vitar Foundation, the release said. The foundation was created to develop strategies for the production of events and cultural programs, performances, exhibits and literary and cultural events. Boone dedicated his life to the arts and enriching the lives of others through the arts.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is being sponsored by the office of County Executive Rob Astorino, the county Board of Legislators and the county's African American Advisory Board. To attend, RSVP WCTrailblazers@gmail.com.

"It is a pleasure once again to sponsor Trailblazers and to pay tribute to five extraordinary African Americans from Westchester who have accomplished so much," said Astorino, who will attend the tribute. "This is a fitting way to observe Black History Month."

This year's recognition of Black History Month has a special significance "because we are also celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, both monumental events fostering equality and freedom," Barbara L. Edwards, chairwoman of the advisory board, said in the release.