Two New Rochelle residents will be honored Thursday at the annual Black History Month and Trailblazers Award ceremony.
Sponsored by the office of County Executive Rob Astorino, the county Board of Legislators and the county's African American Advisory Board, the event highlights the professional and civic accomplishments of African-Americans.
The event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 800 Westchester Ave. in Rye Brook. It is free and open to the public.
Being honored are Michael D. Armstrong and Sharon Epperson of New Rochelle, Harry O. Bright Jr. of White Plains and Dawna Michelle Fields of Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon resident Dillard Boone II is being honored posthumously.
Astorino said it was pleasure to sponsor the event and pay tribute to extraordinary Westchester citizens.
"I thank the county's African American Advisory Board for putting this event together as a way to remind all of us of the significant contributions in our own county of African Americans," he said. "This is a fitting way to observe Black History Month."
Barbara Edwards, the advisory board's chairwoman, said the event has special significance because 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.
"The 2013 Trailblazers embody the same kind of tenacity and commitment to continuing the legacy of our ancestors," she said, "while making an indelible impac for future generations.
Epperson will be receiving the Madame C.J. Walker Award for Business and Economic Development.
She is the senior commodities and personal finance correspondent for CNBC-TV. Epperson is also a regular contributor to NBC's Today Show and has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Self, Essence, Ebony and Time.
Armstrong will be receiving the Cab Calloway Award for Arts and Culture.
He is senior vice president and general manager of BET International and Paramount Channel, which is part of Viacom International Media Networks. Armstrong is also a board member of Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Bright, the former executive director of the White Plains Commission on Human Rights, will be receiving the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award for Civil Rights and Civic Engagement.
Fields is the national program manager of Colgate-Palmolive Company's "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures." She will be receiving the Dr. Valiere Alcena Award for Health and Human Services.
Boone, who died Jan. 10, is a former member of the African American Advisory Board, and was, among other things, a producer, radio host and special events coordinator. He will be honored with the Life Time Achievement Award.
To attend, email WCTrailblazers@gmail.com.
