By Clifford L. Williams, Globe City Editor,
and Aqueila M. Lewis, Globe Intern

Over 1,500 guests filled the San Francisco Marriott Hotel on Friday to attend the 10th annual Madam C.J. Walker Business and Community Recognition Awards Luncheon hosted by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., Oakland/Bay Area Chapter.

    The yearly event honors the first self-made African American female millionaire and business leader, Madam C.J. Walker, and is designed to celebrate the rich tradition of hard work and entrepreneurial spirit that is deeply rooted in the African American culture.
    Award recipients for 2008 included: Eleanor Boswell- Raine, associate publisher of the Globe Newspaper Group, (Entrepreneur Award); Crystal Hayling, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California, (Corporate Award); Jacqueline Rushing, founder and executive director of the Young Scholars Program, (Advocacy Award); and Teri Jackson, superior court judge of California, San Francisco, (Pioneer Award).
    In addition to their NCBW awards, awardees also received a bouquet of flowers, a plaque and a California Legislation Certificate of Recognition from U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
    Corporate awards were presented to NCBW members from Wells Fargo, Nordstrom and Wachovia. “History is who we carry, embody and who we are becoming,” said Hayling. “Madam C.J. is in all of us; we are becoming more than we can imagine.”
    Valarie Coleman Morris, a former CNN business anchor and news personality, served as the mistress of ceremonies, and Robin Brooks, CEO and president of Brooks Food Group Inc., provided the keynote address.
    Brooks talked about her experiences starting two food processing plants, and the struggles of taking over the business after her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer.

   “I had to shift my behavior and style from supporter to a leader,” said Brooks. “I learned how to lead when people weren’t sure I could lead. I had a strong commitment to make the business successful. In order to be successful, you have to have commitment and a single focus on what you are going to do.”



    A’Lelia Bundles, the greatgreat-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, also addressed the group.
    “Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers picked cotton so that we can be the kind of women we are today,” said Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker.
    The National Coalition of 100 Black Women is a nonprofit organization that offers a variety of programs and services designed to enrich the lives of women, young girls and families.
    One of its signature programs, Positive Steps, was developed to support and encourage leadership in young girls ages 12-17. During the event, 15-year-old Teyani Odom received an award for her essay, “The Innovator I Admire and Emulate.”
    NCBW has granted over $150,000 in scholarships and $80,000 in community grants to local nonprofits. In 2005 the chapter launched its Sistahs Getting Real About HIV program, which is designed to improve education and prevention in the community. The group has sponsored 15 billboards annually throughout the Bay Area, organized HIV testing events and hosted an HIV/AIDS symposium in San Francisco.
    For more information on the Oakland/Bay Area Chapter of the NCBW, visit www.onehundredblackwomen.com or call (510) 287-2534.

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