City of Las Vegas honors African-American trailblazers

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by Krystal Allan

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — "This is a moment for us to say we appreciate you for the work that you do."

Las Vegas Councilman Cedric Crear expressed his gratitude as the community honored African-American trailblazers. The City of Las Vegas held the eighth annual African-American Trailblazer Service Awards Monday morning.

"I'm liberating and empowering people to be the best versions of themselves," said Kenya Renee Young, this year's Business and Economic Advancement awardee.

Local NAACP President Roxann McCoy was honored as this year's Community Activism and Politics recipient. Her daughters spoke on her behalf saying, "Our mother works tirelessly for this community, and it's nice that's she's able to get recognition for her hard work."

Dr. Linda E. Young was awarded this year's Educator Award. She says, "The greatest gift we can give our children is our belief in them. So let us continue to fight for the future of the students."

This year's Spiritual Community Awardee was China Hudson. She paid tribute to her ancestral past saying, "It is the spirit of those in the ancestor realm that we honor and salute today."

An award honoring the late Tyrone Thompson, a Nevada lawmaker and tireless advocate for education, was awarded this year. Sean C. Tory received the Tyrone Thompson Emerging Leader award. Tory recalled a difficult time in his life. He said, "The one thing that I was thinking about as I was preparing to speak about this...The thing he (Tyrone Thompson) told me most was, 'This too shall pass and remain the course.' " says Tory.

Monday night the Mob Museum hosted a panel discussion featuring local leaders in law. The panel included trailblazers in some of the state's highest courts. The virtual discussion focused on diversity and inclusion in law as well as the criminal justice system.

Click here to find events happening throughout Black History Month.