TallBoy.us The Tall Boy Experience!
Once again, UNCF held its 35th annual Masked Mayor’s Ball in Atlanta. The usual suspects and other influencers showed up and showed out in support of the auspicious United Negro College Fund’s efforts to promote and extoll the virtues of just how important a cause it was.
Many who attended were either directly or indirectly affected by the UNCF by attending HBCU’s and other institutions that benefitted from this fund raising event. However, don’t get it twisted. Although the organization is closely aligned with historically black universities and colleges, the need continues to this day to be influential and important for the grunt work these funds go towards. As with anything, the struggle is real but does come with a price.
On a more pleasant note, it is always pa great thing to see those who have achieved a level of success lend their endorsements – if not their presence – to the ball. Besides newly elected Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, along with the evening’s M.C. Rashan Ali and President/CEO of UNCF Dr. Michael Lomax, the event was attended by Ted Blum, John Hope Bryant, Hank Aaron, former Mayors Bill Campbell and Andrew Young, Louis Gossett Jr., Ronnie DeVoe with wife Shamari, and a host of other supporters who had a collective good time.
It’s worth noting since its incorporation in 1847, the town has had 60 mayors. The African-Americans who have served the city have all been HBCU graduates. Maynard Jackson was a graduate of Morehouse University and received his law degree from North Carolina Central University. Andrew Young, Kasim Reed and Shirley Franklin all graduated from Howard University. Keisha Lance Bottoms is a graduate of FAMU.
– Joseph Walker, III