Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson joined by Mistress of Ceremonies Juanita Lara — development director at BronxNet Television — and a recipient of the Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) grant, recognized outstanding leaders in the Bronx and New York City’s Caribbean community at the Andrew Freedman Home on Tuesday.
The honorees this year were Founder and CEO of Bullzii Marketing, LLC, Andrea Bullens; Director of Operations for the Bronx Tourism Council, Julius Drake; Director of Franchise Development & Community Affairs of Golden Krust, Omar Hawthorne; and Artistic Director of Something Positive, Inc. — who is also an adjunct professor of dance at Lehman College — Michael Manswell.
Ruschell Boone, Emmy Award-Winning NY1 News Journalist and Anchor for NY1’s News All Day noon newscast, received a posthumous tribute. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, her family immigrated to the United States and settled in the Bronx. She graduated from Truman High School and later from Baruch College before working at New York 1 News beginning in 2002. She died in September 2023 at 48 years old from complications related to pancreatic cancer.
During the ceremony, Gibson presented a proclamation to her surviving husband, Todd Boone, pronouncing June 25, 2024, as Ruschell Boone Day in the Borough of the Bronx.
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