March 13, 2026
Held as one of many signature occasions of the multi-day summit, the Legacy Awards Gala serves as a cornerstone second the place excellence, affect, and management take middle stage.
The annual Legacy Awards Gala on the BLACK ENTERPRISE Girls of Energy Summit as soon as once more delivered a robust evening of celebration, inspiration, and recognition as leaders throughout industries gathered to honor extraordinary Black ladies whose influence continues to form tradition, enterprise, and group.
Held as one of many signature occasions of the multi-day summit, the Legacy Awards Gala serves as a cornerstone second the place excellence, affect, and management take middle stage. The ceremony celebrates ladies who’ve damaged limitations and paved the way in which for future generations, recognizing their achievements throughout enterprise, leisure, public service, finance, and philanthropy.
This 12 months’s honorees embrace Shellye Archambeau, Roz Brewer, Carla Harris, Angela Bassett, and Benaree Pratt Wiley, who have been all acknowledged for his or her outstanding contributions and many years of management that haven’t solely elevated their respective fields but in addition expanded alternatives for others. The Legacy Awards are reserved for girls who display resilience, innovation, and a dedication to uplifting their communities whereas inspiring the following technology of leaders.
All through the night, the room was stuffed with moments of reflection, celebration, and gratitude as every honoree took the stage to share insights from their journeys. BE’s personal Alisa Gumbs opened the night with grace & dropping a gem of inspiration.
“You don’t should go all the way in which again to the ancestors to be somebody’s wildest dream. You might be your individual dream come true.”
Honoree Shellye Archambeau spoke subsequent about timing and the way it pertains to our profession selections, saying, “Cease ready for somebody to faucet your shoulder and inform you it’s your time. Determine what you wish to do, no matter you wish to do, put a plan in place.”
Honoree Carla Harris mirrored on life classes she’s discovered all through her iconic journey.
“Three issues that impacted me and the girl I’m right now. One, winners by no means give up & quitters by no means win. Two, be so excellent that there isn’t any debate. Three, by no means underestimate the facility of alternative.”
Rosalind Brewer spoke passionately a couple of legacy that extends past one’s particular person.
“Legacy shouldn’t be about what you accomplish. It’s about what you made potential for the one who got here after you.”
Benaree Pratt Wiley concluded the night by accepting the Barbara Graves Torchbearer Award and spoke about how particular it was to obtain this monumental award named after the birthplace of the Girls of Energy Summit.
“I keep in mind how excited and optimistic Barbara Graves was 20 years in the past with the launch of the Girls of Energy Summit. She believed within the energy of group, and that when Black ladies collect with intention and function, there’s nothing past our attain. Barbara and I share the dedication to the development of Black folks.”
Along with honoring this 12 months’s trailblazers, the night paid tribute to the summit’s legacy—an occasion that has turn into one of many premier gatherings for skilled Black ladies.
The Legacy Awards Gala additionally serves as a reminder of the lasting affect of the ladies who proceed to redefine management throughout industries. From boardrooms to phases, lecture rooms to communities, their work demonstrates the facility of imaginative and prescient, braveness, and collaboration.
Because the evening concluded, attendees left impressed by the tales shared and the legacy being in-built actual time—proof that the following technology of ladies of energy is already rising.
With one other unforgettable celebration within the books, the Legacy Awards proceed to face as a testomony to the extraordinary influence of Black ladies whose management is shaping the longer term.
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