Black History

General Motors’ Black History Month event focuses on ‘The Power of Reinvention’

ROLLINGOUT.COM — GMAAN held its 13th Annual Black History Month Celebration.

Published

6 years ago

February 18, 2019

By Porsha Monique

The General Motors African Ancestry Network (GMAAN) held its 13th Annual Black History Month Celebration on Friday, February 9, 2019 at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott. This year’s program theme included The Power of Reinvention, and was presented by Cadillac, which is undergoing a dramatic reinvention of its own and now has a complete family of SUVs for the first time in its 116-year history. From the “Queen of Soul” riding the freeway of love in her pink Cadillac… to becoming a “Rapper’s Delight” in the first commercially successful hip-hop single, Cadillac is one of the most referenced brands in African American music.

“Cadillac is a brand of substance and quality that has been a pioneer of reinvention, and we are honored to have the brand as this year’s sponsor,” said Telva McGruder, president of GMAAN and director of Facility Engineering and Manufacturing Operations in Sustainable Workplaces. “As we recognized the achievements of community leaders and employees, we were inspired by stories of perseverance, dedication and courage that have opened more avenues of growth in our society. The evening crystalized the ways innovation manifests today and reminded us that it is woven throughout the fabric of the African American community,” McGruder went on to say.

For the past 13 years, GMAAN has produced a Black History Month Program that aimed to increase awareness of the GM brands and focused on its ties to the community, African American culture and community leaders. This year’s program continued that tradition as the program honored six African Americans that have demonstrated the power of reinvention in their lives and made valuable contributions in their respective communities and also featured esteemed film producer and entrepreneur, Jeff Friday, as their keynote speaker. Friday is the founder of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and CEO of ABFF Ventures. Friday and Cadillac has maintained a thriving partnership for nearly 10 years and this year, Friday was presented with the 2019 Trailblazer Award for excellence in leadership, outstanding achievements and community engagement during the program.

“A reinvention moment sparked a career change for me as I discovered a burning passion for black storytelling,” said Friday during his acceptance speech. “There needed to be a platform for young, black film makers, writers, directors and actors to tell stories specific to our experiences. In 1997, we had our first black film festival with 90 people. Now, in our 23rd year, the five-day festival attracts nearly 10,000 guests,” Friday continued.

The program’s musical entertainment was provided by four-time Grammy, multiple Stellar and GMA Dove award winning singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, Karen Clark Sheard, who sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” And multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning R&B singer and acclaimed actress Brandy closed out the evening with a first-class performance that kept the audience dancing and singing all night long.

John Henry, a Dominican-American entrepreneur, investor and host of Viceland’s unscripted series, HUSTLE, a series co-produced by Cadillac, served as the evening’s master of ceremonies. There was also a very entertaining fire-side chat between Friday and Yvonne Orji, Nigerian-American actress, comedienne, writer, and star on HBO’s comedy series Insecure.

Each year, the GMAAN Black History Month Program draws approximately 1K people and is a much-anticipated community event in Detroit. For the past 25 years, GMAAN has been a major sponsor of North-End, donating $5,000 for food and entertainment, along with recruiting employee sponsors for 200 children. Over the past 10 years, GMAAN members have raised nearly $65,000 for the American Breast Cancer Society through its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Campaign. For more information on GMAAN, visit their website at www.gmaan.org.

This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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13 hours ago

June 20, 2025

Oakland Post

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Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Published

2 days ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

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IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.