General Colin L. Powell to Receive President’s Award at ‘42nd NAACP Image Awards’
ANGELES, CA, (Feb. 9, 2011) – General Colin L. Powell, (Ret) will receive the NAACP’s 2011 President’s Award at the 42nd NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, broadcast live from Los Angeles on Friday, March 4 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on , it was announced today by Vicangelo Bulluck, executive producer of the telecast and executive director of the NAACP’s Hollywood Bureau.
This prestigious award will be presented by NAACP President and Benjamin Todd Jealous in recognition of special achievements and distinguished public service. Previous President’s Award recipients include Van Jones, Muhammad Ali, Susan Taylor, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Ryan White, Bryant Gumbel, Alexis Herman, Venus and Serena Williams, Tavis Smiley, Tom Joyner, Condoleezza Rice, President Bill Clinton, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Ella Fitzgerald.
“General Colin Powell has led an extraordinary life of public service” stated Jealous. “As the first African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and later the first to serve as Secretary of State, General Powell holds a unique place in American history. He is a man of conscience and conviction, who uses his vast influence to promote education and self esteem to our country’s youth. Although his position on the Iraq War was controversial, he was often the voice of reason in the prosecution of that war. He rose from humble roots as the son of Jamaican immigrants to become a distinguished military leader, a statesman, a humanitarian and a philanthropist. He is an inspiration to us all.”
General Powell became the 65th Secretary of State on January 20, 2001. He brought extensive experience with him to his office. Before becoming Secretary of State, Colin Powell served as a key aide to the Secretary of Defense and as National Security Advisor to President Reagan. He also served 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Four-Star General and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989 – 1993). During this time he oversaw 28 crises to include the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the victorious 1991 Persian Gulf War.
General Powell is a recipient of the Spingarn Medal, which is the highest award given by the NAACP. In addition, he is the recipient of numerous U.S. military awards and decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Soldier’s Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart.
General Powell’s civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President’s Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. He has received awards from over two dozen countries to include a French Legion of Honor and an honorary knighthood bestowed by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
General Powell is the Founder of the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at his alma mater, the City College of New York. The Center is student-focused with a mission to develop a new generation of publicly engaged leaders. He is also the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the America’s Promise Alliance, dedicated to forging a strong and effective partnership alliance committed to seeing that children have the fundamental resources they need to succeed.
He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of Howard University and the Board of Directors of the United Negro College Fund. The General also served on the Board of Governors of The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and was a member of the Advisory Board of the Children’s Health Fund.
Since returning to private life, General Powell has become a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the renowned Silicon Valley venture capital firm., and he is helping to raise funds for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC and for the construction of an education center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He is the author of his best-selling autobiography, My American Journey.
Updated 02-09-2011
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