2nd Annual Black Excellence Awards At The Gathering Spot LA

The Gathering Spot LA hosted their second annual Black Excellence Awards, praising several community members for their unwavering determination to succeed and make change in the world. With it being Black History Month, this was the perfect time for The Gathering Spot to reinforce their mission of creating safe spaces for black and brown professionals to be celebrated, seen, and heard. Transforming their illustrious space into an elegant Gala like atmosphere, guests had access to hand crafted drinks sponsored by Crown Royal, as well as a 3 course meal curated by The Gathering Spot LA’s in-house chef.

The Gathering Spot LA Event Coordinator Amber Melvisha who coordinated and produced the event, made sure Black Excellence radiated throughout the entire night. Awardees included Joe Exclusive, Etienne Maurice, Mabel Frias, Dave Helem, Tulani Watkins, Bruce Nahin, and Justin Shaifer. Surrounded by their closest friends, family, and peers, it was easy to see why these individuals were picked to be recognized. They exemplify what Black Excellence looks like 365 days a year. Hosted by Meech Justice, he kept the audience entertained in between award speeches and live entertainment. For the live entertainment portion, rising lyricist Shah Infinite performed a powerful and prolific set that reminded everyone in attendance to be proud of their blackness. Hailing from Washington D.C. he was honored to perform at such a momentous occasion.

Etienne Maurice who is the son of Emmy Award Winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, was celebrated for utilizing his platform to shed light on the importance of community healing through his nonprofit WalkGood LA. Being inspired to create his nonprofit after the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmad Aubrey he humbly accepted “The Leaders of L.A.” Award. “The fact that I have a whole community that supports me and the fact that I’m even acknowledged for the work that I am doing means a lot,” stated Maurice. “It means that I am following my purpose, so to be recognized for that is a blessing.” He made history this past Sunday with the official grand opening of his Walk Good LA facility, which is the first physical space of the Black-owned nonprofit wellness organization in Los Angeles.

Joe Exclusive, who received “The Rich Aunty” Award is a fashion icon and legend. When I asked Joe what it meant for him to receive this award he replied, “It feels amazing to be appreciated and recognized by my peers and people that look like me. I am so blessed and I thank God for blessing me to be a vessel and for making me so special that people want to honor me. I feel like I go so hard in life and always go the extra mile and am super driven so sometimes you questioned yourself like should I stay driven or should I be normal?’” So for me I thank God that he has blessed me to keep going and keep doing more which is why I am so honored to be recognized. I do not take it for granted”.

Mabel Frias, who is a business mogul and co-founder of Luna Magic Beauty Mabel received the “She-EO Powerhouse Award” with pure joy and gratitude. “ I am deeply humbled to be recognized for what we’ve achieved for our community, but more importantly what more is to come,” expressed Frias. “I have always been about the community and doing what is best for the greater good. I accept this call to leadership, always focused on the bigger picture and with the long game to get what I committed to the finish line.” Frias has been featured in Forbes, ABC’s hit show Shark Tank, Good Morning America and Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is the true definition of a boss with a vision, plan and determination to open doors for black and brown people like herself.

Bruce Nahin who is a notable business affairs consultant and executive producer with over 300 IMDB credits to his name. Nahin is involved in approximately 30 projects per year, and is a member of the Producers Guild of American and Academy of Television Arts and Science. He received the “Community Inclusivity” Award and serves as an active TGS member. “For the better part of 40 years I have been trying to break glass ceilings racially having grown up on 39th, so to be recognized for my inclusiveness is very humbling”.

Stand up comedian and television producer Dave Helem comes from humble beginnings growing up in the windy city. I got a chance to ask him what it felt like to be honored in his dream city being from Chicago. “It really feels good to be appreciated by your people,” exclaimed Helem. “We work our butts off out here in LA. I’m from Chicago. We’ve had stories of living in places you don’t want to live in and you get to a position where you’re like man I’m just going to go back home, but then you just stick it out and everything works out. To be recognized in a black space for the black ish that you do is so great”.

Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer is the award-winning Science Communicator, TV Host, producer and STEMbassador on a mission to make science cool. The Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education shared with me that he is honored to be recognized by his peers. “It is really dope to be recognized by my black peers for something that is very niche in science and tech. A lot of times the things that I am doing in my space go unnoticed in the black community so It is really a dope opportunity to see that I am being seen”.

Tulani Watkins who received the “Watch Who’s Next” Award wanted everyone to know how grateful she is to receive such an esteemed award. “I am so happy to be honored for the “Watch Who’s Next” Award,” stated Watkins. This means a lot to me as a member here but also as a quiet leader who is very loud about making sure others are winning and succeeding. Entrepreneurship is hard and stressful but yet so rewarding at the same time. This night is beautiful. We need this, we deserve this and all of us are just getting started. The work is not done. We are on a mission and we are going to be steadfast in the way we move”.

The work that The Gathering Spot LA is doing to make sure black and brown faces are celebrated at the highest level does not go unnoticed. Congratulations to all of the awardees.