Society Stars: NBLCA Gala

Debra Fraser-Howze (2nd left) with honorees (l-r) Douglas A. Michels, Bill Duke, Rory Kennedy, Hedeia Broadbent, Robert Mosbacher


Reginald Van Lee, NBLCA founding president & CEO Debra Fraser-Howze

(Photos:Eurweb.com)



Dinner Chair Reginald Van Lee of Booz Allen Hamilton looked debonair as ever as he hosted the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS 2007 Choose Life Awards gala. The significant event marked the 20th anniversary of this esteemed organization. Around 300 guests attended the event and helped to raise an impressive $300,000.

Powerhouse songstress, Jennifer Holliday performed. Honorees were Susan Taylor of Essence magazine; Rory Kennedy of Moxie Firecracker Films; Robert Mosbacher, Jr. of OPIC; OraSure Technologies; and Gilead Sciences. Vice Chairs Debra L. Lee (BET) and Pamela Joyner (Avid Partners) were joined by other Honorary Chairs Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III and Dennis DeLeon.

The National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) was founded in November 1987 and is the oldest and largest not-for-profit organization of its kind in the United States. NBLCA’s mission is to inform, coordinate and organize the volunteer efforts of the indigenous Black leadership, including clergy, elected officials, medical practitioners, business professionals, social policy experts, and the media to meet the challenge of fighting HIV/AIDS in their local communities. NBLCA conducts policy, research and advocacy on HIV and AIDS to ensure effective participation of our leadership in all policy and resource allocation decisions at the national, state and local levels of communities of African descent nationwide.

Since its inception, NBLCA has served thousands of organizations and institutions through community development, technical assistance, and formulation of public policy; helped to raise over $2 billion in new federal funding for HIV/AIDS and public health-related direct service organizations serving communities of African descent; created the first programs for the Black clergy to develop strategies to address the complexity of problems caused by HIV and AIDS.