Redefining Power, Purpose, and Possibility in the Practice of Law
By: Kristopher Jackson Photo by Paul Williams III In a profession long defined by tradition, Kobi Kennedy Brinson has become a force of transformation. A partner at Winston & Strawn LLP and one of the nation’s most respected corporate litigators, Brinson has spent more than 30 years proving that excellence and equity are not opposing forces—they are essential partners in progress. When Brinson was elected to Winston & Strawn’s Executive Committee nine years ago, she made history as the first African American woman to serve in the firm’s 170-year
Sabrina Brathwaite Wilson | Redefining Wealth, Leadership, and Legacy
By: Kristopher Jackson For Sabrina Brathwaite Wilson, Senior Financial Advisor, Senior Vice President, and Resident Director at Merrill’s Uptown Charlotte office, finance has never been just about numbers — it’s about people. Her journey into the financial services industry wasn’tplanned; it was, as she describes, “a calling that found me.” “I knew I loved helping people,” she reflects. “Someone saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I started out as an assistant, and I realized I could have an impact on people’s financial education and help
Serving Black Excellence in the Pulpit and Beyond
By Loán C. Lake Photo by P. A. Greene Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is an example of innovative leadership and Black excellence. She commands the stage and the pulpit, drawing all eyes and ears to her presence because she has something profound to say. Some may say it is luck, but these traits are rooted in McKenzie’s DNA. She is the granddaughter of Baltimore Afro-American newspaper publisher Carl J. Murphy and Vashti Turley Murphy, one of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated’s twenty-two founders. Most notably, however, McKenzie made history for
Redefining Success Through Wealth and Well-Being
Photo by Ira Graham By Kristopher Jackson In a world where success is too often measured by profit margins and accolades, Dr. Elizabeth Joy is proving there is another way. A visionary leader, researcher and advocate, she has built a career that blends the compassion of social work with the precision of business strategy — showing that wealth and well-being are not opposites, but powerful partners. Dr. Joy’s journey began not in a corner office but in child welfare, where she worked as a caseworker. Those early years exposed her
Leading with Purpose, Philanthropy, and Resilience
BY Jacqueline Killen PHOTO BY Ross Van Pelt Growing up in the rust belt town of Massillon, Ohio, Melissa Blount-Garner learned early the power of resilience, faith and community. Raised by parents who instilled confidence and a commitment to excellence, Melissa has carried those values throughout her more than two-decade career in financial services—emerging as a transformative leader in community development, corporate responsibility and philanthropy. Today, Blount-Garner serves as Senior Vice President and Head of Philanthropy at Fifth Third Bank, where she plays a pivotal role on the leadership
Leslie Bauknight Nixon: A Legacy of Leadership, Service, and Impact
By Leslie Nixon Photo by Ira Graham Community involvement has always been at the heart of Leslie Bauknight Nixon’s journey. Raised in New Jersey, Nixon’s early years were shaped by her active participation in Girl Scouts, an experience that ignited a lifelong passion for personal achievement and service to others. That same spirit continues today through her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where service to all mankind remains a guiding principle. With more than two decades of experience in strategic communications, volunteer program development, and philanthropic initiatives,
The Nation and the World Mark Passing of Civil Rights Icon Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
The Family of Civil Rights Icon and Founder of Rainbow PUSH Coalition Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Dies at 84 Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., 84, an iconic figure in the fight for civil rights, international justice, and human dignity, passed away in the late hours of Monday night, Feb. 16, 2026. The esteemed founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy that has forever redefined the moral and political fabric of our nation and the world. While the world remembers this civil rights icon for
A Legacy of Excellence: From Humble Beginnings to Transformative Impact
Eddie Brown’s journey to success began in the small segregated town of Apopka, Florida, where poverty was a reality, but perseverance was his guiding force. “Someone once told me, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,’” Eddie Brown recalls. Growing up without electricity or running water, he became the first in his family to graduate from high school in the late 1950s and college in the early 1960s. “Until about five or six years ago, I was still the only one in my family to have graduated
A Fierce Champion for Justice
By Loán C. Lake, Photo by P. A. Greene Baltimore native Judge William H. “Billy” Murphy, Jr. loves speaking truth to power. He hails from an extensive line of successful entrepreneurs and brave community leaders, including his great-grandfather John H. Murphy, Sr., founder of the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper. Murphy, who grew up in Cherry Hill, is the senior partner of the Baltimore-based law firm Murphy Falcon & Murphy launched by his father, retired Maryland District Court Judge William H. Murphy, Sr., in 1948. Law was not the original plan.
From Glenville to Greatness: Wayne Dawson’s Journey of Faith, Family, and Forty-Five Years of Broadcasting Excellence
Written by Deante Young Photo by Deante Young Greatness was always Wayne Dawson’s destiny. He was born in the Glenville district of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1955, the same year Rosa Parks launched the Civil Rights Movement with a defiant act on a bus that brought a young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. into the public’s consciousness. King inspired hope in all people, especially his own. Inside the Dawson household during the late 1950s and early 60s, young Wayne was inspired by his mother, Annie L. Dawson.“Where I didn’t achieve,