Martin Luther King Ambassadorial
Reception and Awards Dinner
New York Sheraton Hotel and Towers,NY NY
January 16, 2006
 Usher
was honored at CORE’s 22nd annual Martin Luther King Ambassadorial
Reception and Awards Dinner at the New York Sheraton Hotel and Towers
on Monday, January 16, 2006. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) holds
the preeminent Martin Luther King celebration in the country. In years
past, attendees have included the First Lady Laura Bush, Robert DeNiro,
and former Mayor Rudy Guliani. Notable honorees have included Elie Weisel,
Janet Jackson, B.B. King, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, and Secretary of State
James Baker 111.
This year’s celebration focused on the state of our nation. We
are concerned about the role that hip hop culture plays in today’s
society. We are pleased that a young artist like Usher can set such a
positive example for young people through music. This is the legacy of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the 60’s civil rights movement, and
martyrs like Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, young CORE civil rights workers.
Roy Innis, National Chairman of CORE, called Usher a breath of fresh
air: “ At a time when many hip hop entertainers profit by using
“criminal Chic” to market themselves, Usher has consistently
projected core values of hard work, respect and self-discipline. As a
father and a grandfather, I admire his courage. It’s a challenge
for a young man of such fame and fortune to stay on the straight and narrow.”
The Chairman praised Usher’s mother, Jonnetta Patton, for managing
his career in a way that is consistent with her family’s values.
Family values, hard work and respectability is the right message, especially
at this time.
Usher Raymond 1V, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in l978. He moved
with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia at age 12. At 14, he was discovered
by Laface Records at a local talent show. He released his first album
(Usher) less than a year later in l994. The rest is history, Usher has
3 Billboard Music Awards, 2 Grammy Awards, and 3 Soul Train Awards.
CORE also honored the people of Mississippi for the strides they have
made in race relations. The Honorable Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi,
will accepted the award for his state. Other Honored guests included Ambassador
John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. And the music
was performed by the Marion Anderson String Quartet.
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Heather McClellan was born in Baker, Oregon and raised in McAllen,
Texas. she lived in Houston for a year and attended the University
of Texas at Austin (liberal arts, undeclared) for two years before
transferring to Manhattan's Fashion Institute of Technology, where
her major is Fashion Merchandising Management. She plans to have
an editorial career in fashion journalism here in New York. If
it weren't for fashion journalism, she would pursue a career in
her other passion: genetics technology. Heather's column will
feature articles written about famous celebrities, community heads,
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If you would like to email Heather McClellan with your opinion,
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