(BALTIMORE – February 17, 2026) – Baltimore has always produced greatness. The names do not always appear on national television or in mainstream newspapers. But they are here — building, leading, serving, and shaping this city every single day. On February 26, 2026, the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards will do what it has done for fifteen years: call those names out loud.
The Black Wall Street BENEDETTO Event is proud to announce eleven extraordinary honorees — leaders in law enforcement, business, government, faith, culinary arts, politics, and community development. Together, they represent the best of what Baltimore has to offer.
This is not just an awards ceremony. It is a declaration. It is Baltimore saying: we see our own. We celebrate our own. We refuse to let greatness go unacknowledged.
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2026 Black Wall Street Benedetto Honorees
- Leonard Hamm — Former Baltimore City Police Commissioner
- Jimmy Britton — Business Leader & Community Champion
- Warren Brown, Esquire — Noted Attorney & Philanthropist
- Arnold Williams — Financial Powerhouse
- Bishop John Bryant — Spiritual Leader & Servant of the People
- Algia Ford — Community Builder & Advocate
- Nicholas J. Mosby — Business Leader & Former City Council President
- Garrick Good — Entrepreneur & Visionary
- Senator Antonio Hayes — Maryland State Senator
- Dale Glenwood Green — Leader in Business & Community Service
- Rick Banks — Entrepreneur & Baltimore Original
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These eleven individuals reflect the full spectrum of what Black excellence looks like in action. Some have served in uniform. Some have built businesses from the ground up. Some have stood in legislative chambers and fought for the people. Some have fed the city — literally. All of them have given more than they have taken.
The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards program was founded in 2011 in honor of Joe Manns — a Baltimore legend who believed that recognition was a form of love. Since then, BMORENews.com has honored over 3,000 entrepreneurs and professionals across nine major American cities. The BENEDETTO Event carries that legacy forward.
Founder and CEO Doni Glover reflected on the meaning of this gathering:
“Every person in that room on February 26th represents thousands of others who never got the call, never got the plaque, never got the moment. When we honor one, we are honoring all of them. That is the spirit of Joe Manns. That is the spirit of Black Wall Street.”
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Special Thanks
Events like this do not happen without people who believe in the mission before the spotlight arrives. BMORENews.com extends its deepest gratitude to R.E. Harrington — a Baltimore original who has supported our efforts for years, without asking for anything in return.
Robert Harrington embodies everything the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards stands for. He builds. He gives. He shows up. His generosity has helped make it possible for us to continue recognizing greatness in our community, and his name deserves to be spoken in the same breath as every honoree on this stage.
With an open hand, he has made Baltimore better. We are grateful.
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Join Us
The Black Wall Street BENEDETTO Event takes place on February 26, 2026. Come celebrate eleven giants of Baltimore. Come be part of a legacy fifteen years in the making. Come witness what happens when a community decides to honor its own.
Tickets & Information: blackwallstreetbenedetto.eventbrite.com
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Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards
Celebrating Black Entrepreneurs & Professionals Since 2011
BMORENews.com
