At last month’s 2024 Black Joy Parade in Oakland, three community members were recognized with “Icons Among Us” awards. They were educator and activist Shelene Huey-Booker; children’s advocate Jameelah Hanif; and unhoused individuals’ advocate Donald Frazier. Each is committed to igniting change and inspiring innovation in their community.
The award-winners rode on the Comcast float in the Black Joy Parade and were then celebrated at the festival’s main stage. Since 2021, 12 individuals have been awarded this recognition. Learn more about past recipients online.
Each “icon” receives a $5,000 contribution from Comcast to donate to a charity of their choice. Over the past four years, 12 nonprofits have benefited from the donation, including the Training Institute for Leadership Enrichment (TILE), Watch Me Grow, Inc, Youth Utilizing Power and Praise, and Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS).
The Black Joy Parade is a nonprofit based in Oakland that celebrates the Black experience and the community’s contribution to history and culture, with its signature parade and festival. Comcast has been a supporter of the Black Joy Parade since its inception, and together, Comcast and the Black Joy Parade created the “Icons Among Us” award.
Amber Lester, the Black Joy Parade co-founder and COO, takes great pride in the growth and community love for this special event that honors and highlights the beauty of the Black community in Oakland, a city rooted in Black activism.
“Comcast comes in, collaborates with the team to create this experience for these Black leaders, and we are very thankful for their partnership,” Lester said.
Shelene Huey-Booker
Shelene Huey-Booker is the founder and executive director of Youth Utilizing Power & Praise. The nonprofit’s mission is to create cross-cultural networks that enhance the whole being through performing and fine arts, public speaking, and sports for youth. For the past 21 years, Huey-Booker has given her life to this cause.
“My life’s goal is to be a loving bridge that connects the underserved and the overlooked to opportunities that help them cultivate their gifts,” said Huey-Booker.
“When I think of Black, I think overcomer and when I think of joy, I think on the sense of being. Being named an Icon and walking in the parade was amazing. One of the highlights was having my 11-year-old daughter with me and showing her that anything is possible if she puts her dreams and passions to action.”
Jameelah Hanif
Born in Oakland and a current Vallejo resident, Jameelah Hanif is a dedicated advocate for racial justice who is committed to addressing racial disparities in childhood education. In 2018 she founded Watch Me Grow, Inc., a nonprofit that supports parents who suffer from trauma. The organization connects them with the resources and services offered by public agencies and private organizations in Solano County.
Hanif is a driving force behind resource fairs in Vallejo, ensuring that underserved communities have access to essential support systems. At Watch Me Grow, Inc. parents are helped with job placement, childcare alternative payment, rental assistance, and mental health services, among others.
“What inspired me was becoming educated and aware of ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences). These are traumatic experiences that cause stress. It’s important to raise awareness about these experiences and what we can do to reduce them within our community, households and schools, so all children can thrive,” said Hanif. “From what I saw today (at the parade) and what Black Joy means to me — I saw excellence today. I saw laughter, resilience, harmony, liberation, creativity.”
Donald Frazier
Donald Frazier is the executive director of the Reentry Providers Association of California. He is also the CEO of Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), an organization created in 1971 to help homeless, poor and disabled people achieve health and self-sufficiency, and to fight against the root causes of poverty and homelessness in the Bay Area. Thanks to Frazier’s leadership, BOSS is recognized as a social justice leader with housing, reentry, and violence prevention services.
Frazier’s primary interests are in the development of policies and practices promoting socio-economic and educational advancement as essential components to uplift disadvantaged communities.
“I was born to do this work. What inspires me is that I have to give back,” Frazier said. “What Comcast is doing through the Icons Among Us is phenomenal and invigorating.”
Icons coming to the screen
Youth Beat at KDOL-TV has been commissioned by Comcast and the Black Joy Parade to create a series of videos highlighting the work of the 2024 Icons Among Us.
Youth Beat provides life-changing media training and mentorship to Oakland young people. Since 2009, Youth Beat has provided a space for over 2,000 underserved students to discover free, cutting-edge media arts training. The training helps them access careers in the media industry. Through Youth Beat’s projects with local community partners, Bay Area youth can gain real-life work experience and amplify the stories of Bay Area community leaders.
