(BALTIMORE – December 27, 2025) – The person taking the picture is Josh, the son of Joe Manns. Joe Manns is no longer with us physically, but his spirit stands strong – I tell ya! It was Leamon Best, a blind man, who led me to Joe. Leamon would come on our WOLB 1010 AM Tuesday morning show on Radio One Baltimore for years. He’d bring talent who’d sing.
You see, Leamon hosted these talent shows that gave many people of all ages an opportunity to perform. Little Ashley – well, she’s a grown woman now – but she was our star. A little Chaka Khan. Anyways, Leamon wanted to show his appreciation to me and invited me to an awards program at a Catholic Church in Edmondson Village – I believe, on Wildwood Parkway. Anyway, I go inside and, to my surprise, the blind man has about three long tables packed with 3-foot trophies. Dude, I am blown away! He had more and bigger trophies than I had ever seen at one time. I’m looking at mine right now.
So, that’s how I came to meet Joe Manns. Leamon sent me. Joe was responsible for that. That was Joe’s doing. You only had to meet him once to understand the kind of person Joe was. He loved golf. He loved talking about that time Woodlawn beat Dunbar in football. Lord, he couldn’t wait to tell that story if I ever mentioned Dunbar. That was Joe. Competitive, but a man with a heart of the most valuable element in the universe – unconditional love.
A proud Mason and an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma, be not mistaken – he helped everybody. He helped anybody. If he saw that you were genuine, you were real, you were a person trying to do the right thing, Joe would take care of you.
So, it was a no-brainer early on for me to decide to name the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award after Joe. Whom else deserved that honor in real time but Joe?
For me, the joy is working with Josh and his son – sharing with Joe’s grandson how his grandfather touched people all over the country because of his selflessness. It puts me in the mindset of the greats – like Bea Gaddy, like Ray Haysbert – people destined to bless others.
I once heard a preacher say that you know that you have the Holy Spirit if you help empower others. That’s Joe, that’s Josh, that’s me – and that’s you – if you so desire. I was raised to understand that to whom much is given, much is required – and, that freedom ain’t free, and that as long as I am in the skin I’m in, my reality will be different than others. Our ancestors endured hell. We are those seeds now blossomed and nurturing a whole new generation.
In short, we celebrate Black entrepreneurs and professionals as well as the people who support them regardless of race. To date, BMORENews.com and our Partners have recognized over 3,000 individuals in 9 major US cities: New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Atlanta, New Orleans, Mobile, Las Vegas, and Tulsa.
And we’re always open to new cities and new opportunities. Just email: doni@bmorenews.com.
Sitting: Doni Glover, Bianca Wise, & Robert “Bob” Ingram.
