JOE MANNS BLACK WALL STREET AWARDS WOODLAWN 2026  •  JUNE 4, 2026 DERRICK JONES 2026 Honoree  |  Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards – Woodlawn “If you can’t help them up, don’t put your foot on their neck. Don’t look down on people. Be fair.” – Derrick Jones (BALTIMORE – June 3, 2026) – A proud graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Class of 1982, Derrick Jones came up competing on both sides of the line of scrimmage — offensive center and linebacker on the varsity football team. That same grit and discipline would carry him through everything that followed. After…

(WOODLAWN – June 1, 2026) – Some people make their mark through titles. Others make their mark through service. Gordon Dean Wilder, affectionately known to his friends as “Pett,” has spent a lifetime serving his community, helping others, and proving that success means little if you do not reach back and lift someone else up. A proud son of West Baltimore, Gordon’s story begins at Matthew A. Henson Elementary School, where he was a member of the school band and played the trombone. From there, he attended Lillie May Carroll Jackson Junior High School before becoming a Walbrook Warrior at…

BLACK WALL STREET WOODLAWN — 2026 HONOREE PROFILE A Georgia Tech graduate and Baltimore native, Aris Williams is carrying his father’s legacy into the digital age — one trivia question at a time. (BALTIMORE – May 31, 2026) — Some people inherit money. Some inherit property. Some inherit family businesses. Aris Williams inherited something even more valuable: a legacy of service. His father, Anthony “Marty” Williams, was one of the finest men I have ever known — and my best friend. Marty devoted much of his life to helping young men in Baltimore access higher education. He believed in opening…

BLACK WALL STREET WOODLAWN — 2026 HONOREE PROFILE From a 9-to-5 to multiple LLCs, Kizzy Dawkins turned a leap of faith into a full life of purpose — one pour, one property, one person at a time. (BALTIMORE – May 30, 2026) — There is a moment in every entrepreneur’s story where the comfort of a steady paycheck goes up against the pull of something bigger. Most people stay put. Kizzy Dawkins walked away. That decision — bold, deliberate, and rooted in faith — set in motion more than 13 years of building a career and brand in the bartending…

BLACK WALL STREET WOODLAWN — 2026 HONOREE PROFILE For more than two decades, Tony Ross has poured himself into Baltimore County’s youth — one coach, one mentor, one family at a time. (BALTIMORE – May 30, 2026) — There is a certain kind of person in every community who never seeks the spotlight but whose fingerprints are everywhere. You see them on the sidelines. You see them at the ballpark. You see them at the school. You see them showing up — year after year, weekend after weekend — for somebody else’s child. Tony Ross is that person. A dedicated…

BLACK WALL STREET WOODLAWN — 2026 HONOREE PROFILE (BALTIMORE – May 30, 2026) – When Michael Preston first offered me a job at Baltimore’s $100 million federally funded Empowerment Zone, it was my first opportunity to take my journalism and media career to the next level. From 1994 until Mike’s phone call in 1999, I served as co-editor and ultimately editor of the Sandtown-Winchester ViewPoint Newspaper. By the time I arrived on that scene, LaRian Finney was already making things happen in Baltimore. A proud graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Finney embodied the excellence Poly has long been known for. No…

(BALTIMORE – May 29, 2026) – I heard a preacher say once that you know you have the Holy Spirit when you help empower others. Last night, thanks to Jody Davis, I had the distinct opportunity to thank a woman who opened doors not only for herself, but for many of us. Indeed, she has the Holy Spirit. We all know the story of how she slept in her radio station in the early days. Konan of Radio One has shared many stories with me about what a remarkable person she is. Admittedly, when the time came for me to choose…

BLACK WALL STREET WOODLAWN  |  HONOREE PROFILE A quiet force born of Pennsylvania Avenue, the founder of JD Ward’s Catering has fed corporate suites, celebrity tables, airport terminals, and the community he loves — all without losing himself in the process. Tickets: blackwallstreetwoodlawn.eventbrite.com (BALTIMORE – May 29, 2026) — Around 1992, Doni Glover made it official. He stopped renting and started owning — a home in Sandtown, right in the heart of West Baltimore. A block and a half from the Avenue Market, formerly Lafayette Market, where his mother used to go for fresh fish when he was coming up.…

JOE MANNS BLACK WALL STREET AWARDS | WOODLAWN | 15TH ANNIVERSARY (WOODLAWN – May 28, 2026) – Some people talk about hustle. Jason McAlpin lives it. Born in Brooklyn to hardworking Trinidadian immigrants who came to this country with nothing but determination and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit, Jason learned early what it means to show up — fully, consistently, and with excellence. That foundation has carried him through more than 20 years behind the bar, from neighborhood pubs to upscale fine dining rooms to high-end catering experiences that demand nothing less than perfection. On Thursday, June 4, 2026,…

JOE MANNS BLACK WALL STREET AWARDS | WOODLAWN | 15TH ANNIVERSARY Founder of the Natural Hair Care Expo continues to champion Black beauty, self-love, and cultural empowerment (WOODLAWN – May 28, 2026) – There are certain queens who, when they move, all you can do is stop and pay homage because you know it’s a queen. Malaika-Tamu Cooper been doin’ it gracefully for years. My ex-wife and daughter used to go to her shop in the Junction. Like another popular Black Wall Street WOODLAWN honoree, Randy Dennis, Malaika has too made a lasting impression on Baltimore and beyond with her…