Willie Gary Receives Legacy AwardWillie Gary, prominent attorney and chairman of the Black Family Channel, was recently honored with the Legacy Award

Willie Gary, prominent attorney and chairman of the Black Family Channel, was recently honored with the Legacy Award during the National Black MBA Association, Inc.’s Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Gary was honored along with other civil rights and social justice leaders including: Dr. Oswald Bronson, President of Edward Waters College; Bishop McKinley Young; Rev. Dr. E. Faye Williams, National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.; Joe Leonard, Jr., Executive Board of Black Leadership Forum; Theodore M. Shaw, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Marc Morial, President/CEO of National Urban League; and Herman Russell, Chairman of H.J. Russell Company.

Over 13,000 attendees including business professionals, corporate executives, students, and local community leaders gathered at the Georgia World Congress Center to participate in the National Black MBA Association, Inc.’s Annual Conference. Gary was honored with the Legacy Award during the conference’s Keynote Luncheon for his strong work ethic, determination, and his efforts to champion the cause of civil rights in America. Gary opened the first African American law firm in Martin County in 1975, and is responsible for starting the Black Family Channel, the nation’s only minority owned and operated cable television network dedicated to family programming.

“I was honored to receive an award from an organization so dedicated to excellence and so driven to make the world a better place,” said Gary. “We all should strive to be our best. We must remember those who came before us and sacrificed, so that we may live a better life,” Gary continued.

The National Black MBA Association, Inc. is founded and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and has 39 chapters throughout the country. The National Conference is the organization’s premier event for Black business professionals and attracts more than 13,000 attendees and nearly 500 multinational corporations. The conference provides a venue for the nation’s best and brightest to enhance their career potential through executive development training, networking opportunities, and exploration of employment possibilities.

Gary, who is best known in legal circles as “The Giant Killer,” is noted for taking on some of America’s most powerful companies, winning billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients. Gary is also the Chairman of the Black Family Channel, America’s only minority owned and operated, cable television network dedicated to positive programming for the entire family. Known for his philanthropic endeavors, Gary and his wife, Dr. Gloria Gary, founded the Gary Foundation, which provides college scholarships to at-risk students who wish to attend college. The Gary’s have donated millions of dollars to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including $10 million to his alma mater Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.