“Thank you so much, I am incredibly humbled by this consideration…by this honor. It takes a village to raise an honoree. I know we all appreciate our villages. I appreciate mine, starting first and foremost with the king of our castle, Christopher Morgan. I love you so much, my husband. We have been together almost 11 years,” Kim Fields said to a banquet room filled with attendees at the 2016 Salute Her: Beauty of Diversity Awards luncheon at The Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta.
The actress-director-producer was honored for her style. Other honorees included Deanna Brown Thomas, president of The James Brown Family Children Foundation; Ronnie Tyler, co-founder of BlackandMarriedwithKids.com; Shanti Das, founder and CEO of Press Reset Entertainment; and Jasmine Crowe, chief change-maker and founder of BlackCelebrityGiving.com.
“I am so very, very grateful to be considered in this amazing company and by this wonderful brand. Café Mocha Radio is fantastic, groundbreaking and game changing. At the forefront, you have three wonderful representatives of femininity, of womanhood, of sisterhood, of parent, of friend, of all the labels, titles and hats that we wear. You three wear them so very well. Y’all I have to say I cracked up when I found out I was getting the Woman of Style Award … I have been on a whirlwind as most of you know, this year, the roller-coaster ride adventure between two very high profile brands and shows. I am amazed at how folks will try you. Amen! Jesus!
“Folks will do all they can. Professor Katt Williams once said, ‘Appreciate your haters. Let them do their job.’ All of that is all well and good. There are times…even when you are a child of God and you can read the word and know that’s all coming, and it’s all a part of your journey. It still doesn’t feel good. It still hurts. It’s still a pain in the neck. It’s a gnat that’s just annoying. When you are pulled upon the mountaintop for somebody to say, ‘Well done.’ Style is a funny thing. It can be so objective. And so discussed. And so talked about and dissected. Yet we are in a culture where they don’t ever want to deal with your interior decorator and what you are made of on the inside. And having played Régine Hunter for five years, y’all probably thought that’s who you were really going to give this award to Régine. She’s a fictitious character. Having played the woman of style, it was such the polar opposite of Kimmie, and of Kim Fields, which is why as an actress, she was marvelous to play. Having played a role where we worked very hard to showcase that it’s not just what’s going on on the exterior. It’s what going on on the inside and on the interior and how that’s coming out.
“I am so grateful for this award. Y’all are going to be sick of me on social media talking about ‘I got a woman of style award … heh-heh! I will be doing videos of me in stylish shoes shouting ‘I got me a style award.’ I am so grateful for this honor and all that it means.”
Guests received a swag bag filled with goodies from sponsors Toyota Green Initiative, McDonald’s and ORS Haircare. The NCNW Greater Atlanta section was the nonprofit partner.
Café Mocha launched its annual Salute Her Awards series in 2011, with the goal of recognizing dynamic Black and Latino women who have made contributions within their communities and breaking down barriers with their businesses. Past honorees for Salute Her include talk show host Wendy Williams, activist Sybrina Fulton, R&B star Angie Stone, model-reality TV star Cynthia Bailey, media veteran Jamie Foster Brown, soul superstar Syleena Johnson, cultural arts pioneer Vy Higginsen, actress/humanitarian Sheryl Lee Ralph, civil rights activist Dr. Bernice King, actress/producer Terri J. Vaughn, and CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield, among others. Most recently, the Salute Her Awards were featured on a recent episode of the BET reality series, “It’s a Mann’s World” with honoree gospel music megastar Tamela Mann and her husband, comedian David Mann.
Café Mocha Radio’s hosts are comedienne and actress Loni Love, hip-hop icon YoYo and broadcast veteran Angelique Perrin.
