The 49th annual Frederick Douglass Awards took place last Wednesday evening. Hosted by the New York Urban League, it honored W’s fashion and style director, Edward Enninful, the New York State Education Commissioner, John King Jr., and CVS Caremark’s corporate team. Included at the event were guests from the fashion world, nonprofits, locals in government and media, and many, many others to help celebrate the honor. The most attention, of course, was held by the chairs surrounding the “fashion” tables, set up in front of the stage, where Diane von Furstenberg, Iman, Jourdan Dunn and Naomi Campbell were seated, facing Alice Smith, who performed on the stage between main courses.
Naomi Campbell had the honor of presenting Edward Enninful with his award at the end of the night, saying, “I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world”, as she introduced Enninful. Knowing the fashion and style director for 28 years, Campbell truly gave a heartfelt speech, referring to him as a “brother”. As Enninful graciously accepted his award, he discussed the fashion industry’s inequality for people of color, even today. Ecstatic that he had “been lucky” to work with such well-known editors, including Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington and Stefano Tonchi, he continued to discuss the issue that brought them all together for the evening, saying “what if we lived in a world where luck had nothing to do with it, where high-quality education was provided to every student no matter the color of their skin or where they grew up?” he remarked. “I can tell you, without diversity, creativity remains stagnant.”
While the fashion industry, and culture itself, has come a long way, efforts to embrace and encourage diversity will surely continue, as the wise words of the prestigious director ring into the ears the fashion industry. Congratulations to Edward Enninful, John King Jr., and the Caremark corporate team of CVS for their great efforts in encouraging diversity, and making strides to change the world!
