24 Oct The Grio: Style, substance, and star power converged at theGrio Awards’ first-ever gala

Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton was a beacon of Black excellence on Saturday night as it hosted theGrio Awards‘ first-ever ceremony and gala. With help from hosts Sheryl Underwood and Taye Diggs, Allen Media Group’s Founder, Chairman and CEO Byron Allen welcomed an impressive roster of guests for the evening, including many of this year’s honorees; Queen Latifah, Patti LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, Allyson Felix, Ben Crump, Don Peebles, and Robert F. Smith. Luminaries Nikole Hannah-Jones, Terrance Howard, Jackée Harry, Marla Gibbs, Kim Coles, and Congressman Bobby Rush also made appearances on theGrio’s red carpet—as did several of theGrio’s best-known names and faces—April Ryan, Natasha Alford, Panama Jackson, and Michael Harriot.