Jan. 22, 2007
NAACP Image Awards executive producer Vicangelo Bulluck recently announced that musician and activist Bono will receive this year’s NAACP Chairman’s Award, to be presented during the March 2, 2007 live broadcast of the 38th NAACP Image Awards on FOX (8p.m. ET/PT).
NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond selects the recipient of the Chairman’s Award, which is bestowed in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service.
“Bono has been an inspiration to many people around the world through his music and humanitarian efforts,” said Bond. “We are delighted to honor him with this award in recognition of the difference he has made and to acknowledge his ongoing campaigning to actively engage Americans from all walks of life in the fight against extreme poverty and the global AIDS pandemic.”
“The Chairman’s Award is one of three special NAACP Image Awards that will be presented this year,” stated NAACP Image Awards Chairman Clayola Brown. “The other previously announced honors include the Hall of Fame Award to be presented to Bill Cosby and the President’s Award being given to Soledad O’Brien. I think our honorees this year are diverse and inspiring. It should make for a very exciting and culturally informative show.”
Bono is the lead singer of Irish rock band U2. The band has sold over 130 million albums and won numerous awards for their music, including 22 Grammy awards. Bono is also a passionate and entrepreneurial advocate in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.
Bono’s interest in Africa was ignited after he and wife Ali Hewson spent a month working at a feeding camp in Ethiopia in 1985.
In 1986, U2 headlined the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope Tour. In 1998, Bono became involved in the Jubilee campaign to “Drop the Debt” of the world’s poorest nations. Four years later, he and Bobby Shriver created an advocacy organization called DATA (debt, AIDS, trade, Africa).
In 2004, with leaders from 90 other anti-poverty organizations, Bono helped launch ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History, which today includes 2.4 million members united in the fight against extreme poverty.
Bono has lobbied U.S. presidents and congressional leaders, along with the heads of many other G8 nations, on behalf of DATA’s agenda. In 2005 DATA’s efforts contributed to the G8 decision to cancel the debts of the world’s poorest countries and provide $25 billion in additional annual development assistance to Africa by 2010.
Also in 2005, in an effort to increase trade opportunities and sustainable long-term employment in developing nations, Ali Hewson, Bono and designer Rogan Gregory launched EDUN, an ethically-sourced high fashion clothing company.
In 2006, Bono and Bobby Shriver joined with international corporate leaders to launch Product (RED), a new organization that is raising awareness about the AIDS crisis in Africa and driving millions of dollars into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
For his music and activism Bono was awarded the Legion d'Honneur (2003) and named one of Time magazine’s Persons of the Year 2005, along with Bill and Melinda Gates. In December it was announced that Bono will also be awarded an honorary British knighthood.
Major sponsors of the 38th NAACP Image Awards are FedEx, Verizon, and General Motors. Additional sponsors include Allstate Insurance Company, American Airlines, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Chrysler, Diageo and Sprint.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
NAACP and ONE Campaign Announce Historic Alliance to Fight Global AIDS and Extreme Poverty in Africa
March 2, 2007
Los Angeles, CA— The NAACP and The ONE Campaign announced an unprecedented new alliance at tonight’s 38th NAACP Image Awards, joining together for the first time in a life-saving partnership in the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa and the world’s poorest countries.
"Today, more than ever, there is a critical need for the NAACP to collaborate with key partners like the ONE Campaign to strategically address racial and ethnic disparities across the world, with specific focus on combating poverty, hunger and disease on the African continent," said NAACP National Board of Directors Chairman Julian Bond.
The new partnership includes a ONE Campaign recruitment drive of 250,000 newONE and NAACP members in targeted regions nationally, work with NAACP’s over 1700 field chapters across America and a new "ONE-NAACP Task Force" of over 35,000 of the NAACP’s leading grassroots leaders and activists for mobilization around the 2008 election and key policy making opportunities. The NAACP and ONE will also join forces on a series of co-hosted forums, town halls and public meetings in important presidential primary and general election states and key legislative states and districts.
"The NAACP is one of the most respected and effective forces for social justice in the United States. Working together in this historic alliance, we can bring the power of American hearts and voices from across the country to Africa and make saving the lives of the world's poorest people a priority," said ONE Campaign President and CEO Susan McCue. "Person by person, the NAACP stood up against and defeated "separate but equal" in America. Today, we stand together to say it's wrong in Africa. Together, one by one, we can beat global AIDS and extreme poverty."
The announcement comes as the NAACP awards this year’s NAACP Chairman’s Award to activist and U2 lead singer Bono, bestowed in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. In 2004, with leaders from 100 other anti-poverty organizations, Bono helped launch ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History, which today includes over 2.4 million members united in the fight against extreme poverty.
Working with ONE, the NAACP will engage their members in support of bipartisan debt cancellation, trade reform, effective aid, global health, clean water and infrastructure development efforts. Joint projects will also focus on educating and engaging members through the NAACP’s Regional Civil Rights Training Institutes, National Convention, Youth and College Chapters throughout the country and work to forge partnerships between the corporate and nonprofit communities serving the developing world.
The NAACP joins ONE as the campaign’s millions of supporters set their sites on the 2008 presidential elections, working together across the political aisle to meet at house parties, engage candidates in-person and connect online. Through ONE.org and working on the ground in communities, colleges and churches in all 50 states, ONE members ask America's leaders to increase efforts to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty, from the U.S budget and G8 summits to legislation on debt cancellation, increasing effective international assistance, making trade fair and fighting corruption.
The alliance brings new grassroots power to the fight against global disease and extreme poverty at a critical time. Currently, more than 1 billion people around the world live on less than $1 a day and Africa has been hit harder by the HIV/AIDS virus than any other region of the world. Last year alone, more than 2.1 million Africans died from AIDS and another 24.7 million are infected with the HIV virus, approximately 2 million of whom are children. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to two-thirds of the total world HIV-positive population and has approximately 12 million HIV/AIDS orphans.
ONE: THE CAMPAIGN TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans -- ONE by ONE -- to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is a coalition of over 2.4 million people and 100 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations. For more information, please visit: www.one.org.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
For more information on the NAACP and NAACP Image Awards, please visit www.naacp.org and www.naacpimageawards.net.
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