Historic Black Organization Honors Sandra Evers-Manly, International Cultural and Human Rights Advocate

Established to recognize those who have rendered exceptional support Services to Youth, The Arts, National Trends and Services, International Trends and Services, and Health and Human Services Evers-Manly was a perfect choice.

Nationwide — The Links, Incorporated, an international, not-for-profit, volunteer service organization, established in 1946, has selected Sandra Evers-Manly to receive their 2024 Co-Founders Award for The Arts. The award was presented during the Civic Luncheon at the 44th Links National Assembly at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas by Ethel Isaacs Williams, J.D., National President on Thursday, June 20, 2024.

The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit, volunteer service organization, established in 1946. With a membership of more than 17,000 influential, civic-minded, professional women of color, they have 299 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. The Links, Incorporated is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of Black women and is committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African descent. Collectively, the Links document more than one million service hours annually, supporting individuals and families in the communities they serve.

This award, established in the spirit of the Links co-founders, Margaret Rosell Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott, is caringly offered to individuals who have made a significant impact on the lives of others and society as a whole by being standard bearers of truth and equality.

According to President Williams, “You continue to chart a most distinguished career, with achievements that extend well beyond the corporate arena and into the realm of film and media. Your passion for the arts and storytelling, commitment to amplifying youth and diverse voices, your keen understanding of the power of film to shape perceptions and inspire change, have made you a driving force and undeniably deserving of this award.”

Evers-Manly has generated overwhelming support from more than thirty years behind initiatives that support filmmakers from underrepresented communities to ensure that their stories are told. Past Co-Founders Award recipients include novelist, Alice Walker, The Color Purple; award-winning actress, Cicely Tyson, Roots; author Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, Annie Allen; Dancer/Choreographer Judith Jamison, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company; Emmy Award-winning actress Lynn Whitfield, The Josephine Baker Story and author Poet, Playwriter, Activist, Sonia Sanchez, Homecoming (1969) – all of whom, like Ms. Evers-Manly, are creative giants of public service and personal sacrifice who are an inspiration to others.

The Co-Founder’s Award is proudly bestowed with a commissioned Elizabeth Catlett bronze sculpture, for this accolade, and designed to signify the freedom to believe, achieve, and overcome. In addition, Evers-Manly may designate a charity of her choosing to receive monetary donations from the Links in her honor. According to Evers-Manly, “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this amazing recognition by Links, Inc., one of the most distinguished and cherished organizations in our country. The work of the Links has impacted and changed so many lives and to be honored with the Co-Founders Award For The Arts, my heart is full of gratitude. It comes with even more responsibility to continue the work to ensure Black representation in films and television, equity and equality while supporting the Arts.”

About
Sandra J. Evers-Manly is President and Founder of the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC), former President of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). She is an Emmy-winning Executive Producer for the Best Science and Technology Documentary, Into the Unknown,  Executive Producer of the film currently in IMAX theaters, Deep Sky, and the author of a children’s book Raised Up By Mrs. Manly and Her L’s.

A few organizations that have honored Evers-Manly for her service in the past include the Washington DC, Memorial Foundation, Builders of The King Memorial, The Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade, the Los Angeles Sentinel, the City of Los Angeles, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Evers is a champion for social and civil rights and uses every opportunity to advance these causes through film and philanthropy. Since 1996, BHERC has been a vital advocate, nurturing Black representation in film and TV through education, research, and events. Her Films With a Purpose Initiative empowers emerging filmmakers to shed light on pressing societal issues. She won an Emmy in 2023 for the film and also served as an Executive Producer of the current IMAX film Deep Sky.

For more information about Sandra Evers-Manly and her work, contact Stephene Johnson by phone at 310-284-3170 or email media@bherc.org. Sign up today for the latest information about BHERCTV and BHERC Festivals and Programs at BHERC.org