Bank of America, Sodexho, Magic Johnson aid NUL

NEW YORK —Earvin “Magic” Johnson, CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, presented Cris Carter and brother John Carter of Carter Brothers, LLC with the National Urban League’s inaugural Entrepre­neurship Award. The award was pre­sented at the League’s Annual Equal Opportunity Awards Dinner on Nov. 15 at the New York Marriott Mar­quis, New York City. The National Urban League also honored Eli Lilly and Co. and Fannie Mae’s Chief Diversity Officer Stacey D. Stewart.

The annual Equal Opportunity Awards Dinner honors individuals and corporations who perpetuate the principle of equal opportunity and exhibit leadership qualities that result in notable contributions to the cause of equal rights.

n 2005, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly teamed with the NUL to fund an initiative to improve health-care quality for African Americans nationwide and in 2006 was inducted into the League’s Million Dollar Hall of Fame.

Since its creation in 1979, the Fannie Mae Foundation, which is closing at year’s end, has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to nonprofits, including $34.5 million in 2006 alone. It has also served as one of the first sponsors of the League’s Economic Empowerment Tour.

The dinner was co-chaired by Liam E. McGee, president of global consumer & small business banking at Bank of America Corp., and George Clavel, president and CEO of Sodexho. John Hofmeister, chairman of the board of the National Urban League and president of Shell Oil Co., presented Eli Lilly with the Corporate Leadership Award.

Maudine R. Cooper, president, Greater Washington Urban League presented Stewart with the NUL Leadership Award for her role in developing programs that provided technical knowledge and financial resources to help communities acquire their own homes.

In addition, the National Urban League inducted its 2007 One Mil­lion and Five Million Dollar Hall of Fame Class, which recognizes organizations that have contributed $1 million or more to advance the work of the League. This year’s One Million Dollar Hall of Fame award was presented to Unilever and the Five Million Dollar Hall of Fame award to Comcast, Microsoft and Shell Oil Co.