Tyra Banks Honored By the Urban League, Here Are 3 Reasons Why She Deserved It
Tyra
Banks has accomplished much in her relatively young life and career.
Her role as a barrier breaker in the modeling world is one of the
defining aspects of her celebrity and legacy for many years. But over
the last decade, she has emerged as a media mogul and one of the most
powerful women in television. “I studied,” she says adamantly. “I
looked at the [modeling] industry as a business.” Banks carried that
business savvy into the media arena and the results have been
extraordinary. Her work was recently honored with a Living Legends
Award from the National Urban League during the Whitney M. Young Jr.
Awards Gala in Chicago. Banks acknowledged those that came before her
and those she hopes to inspire to follow in her footsteps.
Urban League President Marc Morial presented the executive
producer/show host/model with the award. Emil Jones Jr., former State
Senator of Illinois and Alexis Herman, NUL Trustee and Chairman/CEO of
New Ventures, LLC also received Living legend Awards.
3 Reasons Tyra Banks Deserves to be Honored:
1. Her show “America’s Next Top Model,” has become the most watched
program on the CW network, helping to launch the careers of models Eva
Marcille, Adrienne Curry, Toccora, and more. At the age of 35, she has
become one of the most powerful women in television. “The Tyra Banks
Show” and “ANTM” are among the most popular shows on network
television. Banks is executive producer and host/star of both. She also
co-produces “True Beauty” along with actor Ashton Kutcher.
2. In the 1990s, Tyra helped shatter many perceptions of what black
models could and could not do. She was one of the most in-demand models
of the decade, and became the first black model to grace the cover of
Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.
3. She has shown tremendous brand and business acumen while building
her entertainment company and she emphasizes to young black women the
importance of looking past glamour to achieve worthwhile goals. She
positively uses her visibility as a platform to discuss various issues,
from perceptions of beauty, to obesity, homophobia, and racism. – todd williams
