BET, General Motors Celebrate Black History Month by Honoring Today's History Makers in The Making

BET, General Motors Celebrate Black History Month by Honoring Today's History Makers in The Making

2005 Honorees Include NFL Star, Police Chief, Best-Selling Authors, AIDS Activist and Philanthropist

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- BET, along with General Motors (GM), will celebrate Black History Month throughout February by recognizing and honoring History Makers in The Making; contemporary African-American leaders who have made a significant contribution to enrich or better the lives of other African Americans and their communities. The honorees will be featured on the BET network and BET.com website during the entire month. The program will culminate with a private awards ceremony in Detroit on February 28.

"As a leading entity within the African-American community for 25 years, BET is committed to giving back to and serving its core audience. We commend those individuals who support the community by giving so much of themselves to help others," said Louis Carr, BET President of Broadcast Media Sales.

"African Americans have always played a significant role in GM's success, whether as customers, employees, dealers or suppliers," said Charles Carridine, Director of African-American Sales & Marketing for GM. "History Makers in the Making provides a great platform for us to not only honor those making a difference today but also to encourage all of us to make our contribution to Black History."

History Makers in the Making salutes African Americans in the fields of education, medicine, social services, government, entertainment, business and sports. Previous History Makers in The Making honorees include Bishop Arthur M. Brazier, Pastor Apostolic Church of God; Aaron Dworkin, Executive Director of The Sphinx Competition; Dr. Wilbert Jordan, HIV/AIDS medicine; Kwame Kilpatrick, Mayor of Detroit; Kevin Liles, President Def Jam/Def Soul Records; Reginald Brass, "My Child Says Daddy"; Karen E. Jackson, "Sisters Network (R) Inc."; William H. Gray III, United Negro College Fund (UNCF); Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate of the 18th Episcopal District AME Church. This year's honorees have all made significant contributions to the African American community.

2005 HISTORY MAKERS IN THE MAKING HONOREES

Derrick Brooks -- NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Founder, Derrick Brooks
Charities, Inc.


Derrick Brooks is a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection. Extremely community-minded, Mr. Brooks works hard to make a lasting, positive impression in the lives of children, while also helping others who are in need. He is founder of the Derrick Brooks Charities, Inc., which strives to provide educational opportunities for socio- economically challenged youth.

Ella M. Bully-Cummings, Esq -- Chief of Police Detroit, MI

Appointed to the position of Chief of Police on November 3, 2003, Ella M. Bully-Cummings became the first female police chief for the Detroit Police Department in its 138-year history. She is responsible for the 10th largest police department in the nation, consisting of more than 4,700 sworn and civilian employees and an annual budget of over $418 million. In the decisions she has made throughout her stellar career, she has always held issues affecting Detroit citizens -- the community that the Police Department serves -- in the highest regard.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson -- Author, Professor

Named by Essence magazine as one of the nation's "50 most inspiring African Americans," Dr. Michael Eric Dyson has been dubbed by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "a major American thinker and cultural critic." Dr. Dyson earned a PH.D. from Princeton University in Religion and is currently the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities, and Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies, at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Dyson has written ten books in ten years, ranging from works on cultural criticism, race theory, religious thought, philosophical reflection and gender, and sexual studies. Dyson is also an ordained Baptist minister, radio commentator for NPR's Tavis Smiley Show, contributing writer for Philadelphia Magazine, and frequent guest on the nation's leading cultural and political television shows.

Roderick D. Gillum -- Vice President Corporate Responsibility and
Diversity, General Motors Foundation


Roderick D. Gillum is responsible for global corporate social responsibility initiatives, which include community relations, philanthropy, business ethics, and diversity management within the corporation. In addition, Gillum is chairman of Motor Enterprises Incorporated, a subsidiary of General Motors, specializing in providing capital for GM minority suppliers. Gillum was elected by his peers and serves as a fellow in the American Bar Association's College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. And serves on the board of Holcim, Inc. where he chairs its Audit Committee. His other board memberships include: National Urban League: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; National Council of LaRaza; Hispanic Association Corporate Responsibility; Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Shorenstein Center; Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; The Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr., National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.; Detroit Economic Growth Corporation; Michigan Colleges Foundation; and New Detroit.

Iyanla Vanzant -- Best-Selling Author, Inspirational Speaker

Iyanla Vanzant is a nationally recognized best-selling author and immensely popular inspirational speaker, devoted to showing others the way to transform their lives. She has written ten books over the past seven years, five of which were New York Times best-sellers and has been hailed as "one of the most dynamic African-American speakers in the country." In addition to her books, she is the Chief Executive Officer of Inner Visions Worldwide, Inc. Spiritual Life Maintenance Center in Silver Spring, MD., where she regularly conducts personal growth classes and workshops for men and women and regularly lectures at various events. Currently, Ms. Vanzant is also a Life Coach on "Starting Over," a daytime syndicated TV show dedicated to helping women start their lives over. As a "Life Coach" she helps them define their goals and outline steps needed to achieve those goals.

Phill Wilson -- Founder and Executive Director, Black AIDS Institute

Phill Wilson is Founder and Executive Director of the Black AIDS Institute, the only Black HIV/AIDS think tank in the United States. The mission of the Institute is to stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Black communities by mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV/AIDS. The Institute develops and interprets public and private sector HIV policies, conducts trainings, offers technical assistance, disseminates information and provides advocacy from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view. Mr. Wilson was the co-founder of the National Black Lesbian & Gay Leadership Forum and the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention. He has been involved in the founding of a number of other AIDS service organizations and community-based organizations, including the Chris Brownlie Hospice, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the National Minority AIDS Council, the Los Angeles County Gay Men of Color Consortium, and the CAEAR Coalition. The Ford Foundation named him one of twenty Leadership for a Changing World in 2001. Wilson was a member of the US delegation to the 1994 World AIDS Summit in Paris, and has worked extensively on HIV/AIDS policy, research, prevention, and treatment issues in Russia, Latvia, the Ukraine, the UK, Holland, Germany, France, Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, and India.

ABOUT BET

BET, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B), is the nation's leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET Network reaches more than 79 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African Americans; BET Digital Networks -- BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, specializing in a full range of event production services, including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment, sound, lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nation's leading publisher of African-American themed romance novels under the Arabesque imprint which also publishes compelling fiction under the Sepia imprint and inspirational fiction and nonfiction under the New Spirit imprint. More information can be found at http://www.bet.com/.

About General Motors

General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's corporate website at http://www.gm.com/.


Source: BET (Black Entertainment Television)

CONTACT: Anne Williams of BET, +1-202-608-2063, anne.williams@BET.net

Web site: http://www.bet.com/
http://www.gm.com/


-------
Profile: intent