Gina Prince-Bythewood will receive the Pinnacle of Excellence Award at the Black Business Association’s 2023 Salute to Black Women business conference.
Prince-Bythewood will be recognized not only for her award-winning directing, writing and producing but also for her decades-long career and philanthropic efforts, one of which includes funding a scholarship for Black students in UCLA’s film program.
The Woman King filmmaker is one of eight honorees set to receive an award at the organization’s 20th annual event celebrating Black women on March 25 in recognition of National Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, California congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, retired NBC4 reporter Beverly White, retired radio personality Pat Prescott, California Black Media executive director Regina Brown Wilson and authors Cynthia E. Exum and Devyn Bakewell will be honored alongside Prince-Bythewood.
The daytime celebration will include a red carpet, the awards luncheon program, a dessert reception, a vendor faire and panel discussions, like “Role Models for Success” and “Season of Greatness.”
“It will serve to uplift and fortify us at a time when the world seems to need saving, and we know that Black women will save the world,” Black Business Association president and CEO Sarah R. Harris said in a statement. “As we celebrate in the spirit of this year’s theme, we are honored to spotlight eight amazing women who consistently tell our stories in the ways they know best. With the same enthusiasm, we are delighted to explore how we can excel and move into our ‘Season of Greatness.’”
The Black Business Association is the oldest active ethnic business support organization in the state of California, according to its website. Since 1970, it has been instrumental in developing and growing thousands of Black-owned businesses locally and nationally, with the goal of creating a firm economic base for Black and urban communities.
