(Photos) Jada Pinkett Smith Honored at 2017 HBCU Power Awards!

Last night, Jada Pinkett Smith and seven more individuals who have made significant achievements in their respective fields were honored at the inaugural HBCU Power Awards presented by Morehouse College.

Hundreds of guests gathered at Martin Luther King Jr International Chapel in Atlanta to celebrate actress Jada Pinkett Smith, Coltrane Curtis (founder, Team Epiphany), Kyle Hagler (president, Next Management), Nzinga Shaw (Chief Diversity Officer, Atlanta Hawks), Keinon Johnson (VP, Urban Promotions, Interscope Records), Phylicia Fant (SVP, Publicity, Warner Bros Records), Beverly Anderson (EVP, Cards & Retail Services, Wells Fargo) and Rob Rumley (Chair, Atlanta Housing Authority).

Produced by Morehouse alums Derek “Fonzworth Bentley” Watkins (c/o ’96), Jash’d Kambui Belcher (c/o ’99) and Roderick Hardamon (c/o ’98), the HBCU Power Awards was full of exceptional moments: an opening “Swag Surfin’” performance by the Morehouse Glee Club and Horns section; co-host Deon Cole keeping the audience laughing; the crowd singing along to “Focus” during R&B singer H.E.R‘s performance; an impromptu stroll in the aisles from an Omega Psi Phi frat; the music by DJ Trauma; Coltrane Curtis’ emotional tribute to his late father; and Jada Pinkett Smith’s moving words on the dynamics of power and the responsibility we all have to manage it wisely.