Megawatt royalty of the auto industry shined the spotlight on diversity during the 16th Annual Wheel Awards featuring host Phylicia Rashad, Martha Reeves, Congressman John Conyers, Mayor Dave Bing, and co-host John Quinones of ABC.
More than 1,500 celebrities, executives, international media, politicians and others poured into the mammoth MotorCity Casino in Detroit to celebrate inclusion in the automotive industry on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show. This year’s auto show was punctuated with Urban Wheel Awards founder Randi Payton paying homage to Bill Perkins, the chairman and president of the Bill Perkins Automotive Group. Perkins became the first African American to be appointed as the chairman of the North American International Auto Show, commonly called the Detroit Auto Show.
In a plea to not turn their backs on the beleaguered city struggling to keep its nose above water, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing reminded auto executives about President Obama’s auto industry bailouts at the beginning of his administration and how it aided in the recovery now in progress and the effect on the city of Detroit. “I hope you don’t give up on the city that put the world on wheels,” said Bing, who is both an NBA and automotive legend.
Check back frequently for more coverage of the Urban Wheel Awards.
–terry shropshire
