The Annual Stone “EBEN” Awards ceremony celebrated its 25-year milestone Sunday (Oct.18) while honoring outstanding community leaders, businesspeople and entertainers in the Memphis metropolitan area.
The event was held at the Historic House of Mtenzi Museum at 1289 Madison Ave.
This year’s ceremony was a Black festive outdoor gala, where COVID-19 guidelines were enforced.
The Stone Awards paid tribute to the iconic Ma’&9 MustardSeeds Mother, The Queen Ma’Thelma Brownlee-Campbell, deemed as “The Mother Matriarch of Memphis,” who died Oct. 9. She was 86.
The gala also commemorated the life and legacy of actor Chadwick Boseman, who died Aug. 28, 400 years Marker, New Jerusalem & the ideology of “Wakanda forever.”
The “EBEN” honorees were Chuck O’Bannon; Wiley Henry; the late Club Paradise owner Andrew “Sunbeam” Mitchell; City Court Clerk Myron Lowery; John B. Smith, The Invaders; Patricia Lee, Umoji Foundation; Irma Johnson, playwright; Al Paris, former lead singer for Kool and the Gang; Jean Campbell, vice president of Stone Awards.
Also, Leo Preston, Jubilee Humming birds 80th Anniversary; the Temprees 50th Anniversary; Pastor Michael Lockhart and Minister Penny Lockhart; Georgia “Mother” King; Dr. Varrie Hamilton; Cassandra Wade; Kenith Owens and Kenneth Coleman.
Special celebrity guests included award-winning WDIA radio host Bev Johnson, legendary soul singer Carla Thomas, Harold “Scotty” Scott, State Rep. Joe Towns and activist Minister Suhkara Yahweh.
Founder Stanley “Cam Mtenzi” Campbell said, “It takes all leaders carrying their Tried Stone, to rebuild a better society of equality on a stronger moral foundation. By faith, we must work together on concrete solutions.”
