Bank of America, Sodexho and Magic Johnson Help National Urban League Raise a Record $2 Million at Equal Opportunity Awards Event

    NEW YORK, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Basketball legend and entrepreneur
 Earvin "Magic" Johnson, CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, will present
 former Minnesota Viking Cris Carter and his brother John Carter of Carter
 Brothers, LLC with the National Urban League's inaugural Entrepreneurship
 Award. The award will be presented at the League's Annual Equal Opportunity
 Awards Dinner on November 15, 2007. The National Urban League will also
 honor Eli Lilly and Company and Fannie Mae's Chief Diversity Officer Stacey
 D. Stewart.
     "I'm honored to join the National Urban League, Sodexho and the Bank of
 America in congratulating Cris and John Carter of Carter Bros. LLC on
 receiving the first ever Equal Opportunity Award for Entrepreneurship,"
 said Earvin "Magic" Johnson, CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises and majority
 owner of SodexhoMAGIC. "The advancement of minority-owned businesses and
 economic empowerment are issues I hold close -- this award is a testament
 to the hard work of these entrepreneurs and the National Urban League."
     In 2001, NFL star Cris Carter founded Carter Brothers in Atlanta,
 Georgia, with his brother John, a former senior executive with a national
 construction company where he managed portfolio of more than $4.5 billion.
 Since then, the firm has become one of the country's largest electronic
 security and fire/life safety firms and listed in Fortune's Top 500 list
 and Black Enterprise magazine's Top 100 issue.
     The annual Equal Opportunity (EOD) Awards Dinner honors individuals and
 corporations who perpetuate the principle of equal opportunity and exhibit
 leadership qualities that result in notable contributions to the cause of
 equal rights.
     "The individuals and organizations honored at EOD set the example for
 all of us in their commitment to the greater community," said National
 Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial. "This year's recipients display
 exceptional leadership encouraging minority empowerment in all aspects of
 society."
     In 2005, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly teamed up with the NUL to fund
 a multi-year initiative to improve health-care quality for
 African-Americans nationwide and in 2006 was inducted into the League's
 Million Dollar Hall of Fame.
     Since its creation in 1979, the Fannie Mae Foundation, which is closing
 at year's end, has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to nonprofits,
 including $34.5 million in 2006 alone. It has also served as one of the
 first sponsors of the League's Economic Empowerment Tour.
     The dinner will be co-chaired by Liam E. McGee, president of Global
 Consumer & Small Business Banking at Bank of America Corporation, and by
 George Clavel, president and CEO of Sodexho, Inc. Russ Mitchell, news
 anchor for CBS' The Early Show, and Soledad O'Brien, anchor and special
 correspondent for CNN, will emcee the event. The dinner will include:
     -- Earvin "Magic" Johnson will present the inaugural Entrepreneurship
        Award to Cris and John Carter of the Carter Brothers for demonstrating
        extraordinary commitment and dedication to economic empowerment.
 
     -- John Hofmeister, Chairman of the Board of the National Urban League and
        President of Shell Oil Company, will present Eli Lilly with the
        Corporate Leadership Award for its support of the League's health
        platform by helping to create the "Remarkable: That's You" health and
        wellness program.
 
     -- Maudine R. Cooper, President, Greater Washington Urban League will
        present Stacey Stewart, Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Diversity
        and Inclusion and Senior Vice President, Office of Community &
        Charitable Giving at Fannie Mae, with the NUL Leadership Award for her
        role in developing programs that provided technical knowledge and
        financial resources to help communities acquire their own homes.
     In addition, the National Urban League will induct its 2007 One Million
 and Five Million Dollar Hall of Fame Class which recognizes organizations
 that have contributed $1 million or more to advance the work of the League.
 This year's 1 Million Dollar Hall of Fame award will be presented to
 Unilever and the 5 Million Dollar Hall of Fame award will be presented to
 Comcast, Microsoft and Shell Oil Company.
     In 1956, the National Urban League held its first Equal Opportunity Day
 dinner, giving awards to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary James P.
 Mitchell and Jacob S. Potofsky, president of the Amalgamated Clothing
 Workers of America. Since then, Muhammad Ali, Hillary Rodham and William
 Jefferson Clinton, Iman, Quincy Jones and Spike Lee, among others, have
 been honorees.
     The EOD dinner will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis, which is
 located at 1535 Broadway, at W. 46th St. in Times Square. Media
 availability begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by a reception at 6:30 p.m. and
 dinner at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call 212-675-9474.
     CONTACT:
     Adrien Seybert/212-558-5315
     Kimberlee Bradshaw at 212-885-0506
 
 

SOURCE National Urban League