General Colin Powell will be the recipient of the President’s Award at the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards in March. Powell, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State, is the first African-American to have held the positions. He is being awarded in recognition of special achievements and distinguished public service.
“General Colin Powell has led an extraordinary life of public service and holds a unique place in American history” stated Benjamin Jealous, chief executive office of the NAACP. “He rose from humble roots as the son of Jamaican immigrants to become a distinguished military leader, a statesman, a humanitarian and a philanthropist.”
Since retiring from public service, Powell is a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and is helping to raise funds for both the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and for the construction of an education center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
– Amanda Deatherage contributed
