Current Honorees
Traci Young-Byron
Arts & Culture
Young-Byron, born and raised in Liberty City, is a pillar of her community. She heads the Performance and Visual Arts Center at Miami Northwestern High School and is dance coach for the school’s Golden Girls Dance Line. She pushes her students to succeed, requiring a 3.5 grade point average to be a part of the team. Young-Byron has impacted thousands of underprivileged young women and men with her contributions to the community. Her passion for the arts shines through her role as Founder and CEO of the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre, with its mission to help enlighten and expand societal views through all areas of dance.
Ken Roland
Business & Entrepreneurism
Lifeguard Lieutenant Ken Roland's career was launched by a tragedy -- a car accident that landed him in the hospital gripping to life. After a stressful 15-hour surgery, Lt. Roland recovered and vowed to help his community in a special way. Now CEO of Ken Roland International, LLC., Lt. Roland brings CPR training and swim instruction to children across the country. Since his accident, Lt. Roland formed Swim Central in Broward County; an organization that has provided swimming lessons free of charge to more than 670,000 school children. As a trailblazer in the industry, Lt. Roland is leveraging his remarkable background to pioneer an entirely new approach to safety courses, through the creation of his business model which is now operated by his son Jacob and grandsons Judah, Messiah and King Roland.
Marleine Bastien
Community Service
Bastien was born in Haiti where she volunteered most of her young life. She came to Florida as an adult and days later began volunteering at the Haitian Refugee Center. Bastien has a master's degree in Social Work from Florida International University and spent many years at Jackson Memorial Hospital as a medical social worker with children and families, where she became the premiere advocate for patients’ rights. She has championed the cause of women, children and Haitian families through her dedicated advocacy in the areas of immigration and human rights, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and domestic violence. Through FANM, Bastien helps to provide an array of services such as immigration help, health access, housing, education and more.
Danni Washington
Education
Washington’s passion for education and for marine biology has given her a unique career path. She broke the mold of a traditional environmentalist, touted as the first Black-American to host an American science television series. At age 21, she co-founded the Big Blue & You, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and educating youth about marine conservation through arts and media. Washington has a love for youth outreach and education demonstrated by her work as a naturalist at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, where she has helped educate thousands of South Florida children about local marine ecosystems. She sets out to inspire and educate children so they, too, can use their unique set of gifts and follow their passion in life.