Giant among Giants awarded to Edmond

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The Giants Awards -- an event that honors the accomplishments of African American community leaders in West Michigan -- were held Saturday night.

The Grand Rapids Community College Diversity Learning Center accepted nominations throughout the year and more than 12 leaders were honored at this 28th annual event.

Since 1983, 13 people or organizations have been recognized for their contributions in shaping the history and quality of life in the greater Grand Rapids area.

Typically, 12 recipients are given various awards and then the "Giant among Giants" award, the most prestigious honor, is handed out.

The "Giant among Giants" award for 2010 was given to Grand Rapids resident Mary Edmond, a former educator and administrator with the Grand Rapids Public Schools. She worked in the district for 32 years.

She created the African American archives at the Grand Rapids Public Library.

According to its Web site : " For over 30 years Mary Edmond's personal mission has been to contribute to the awareness and understanding of African American history as an integral part of American history. The presentation "I + We = Us: Preserving and Sharing African American History" is a result of her research and work to uncover African American history in the state of Michigan and right here in Grand Rapids. She will also share the results of her latest effort to research her own family genealogy."

She also created "150 years of African American Presence in Kent County", a long-running exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. She was reappointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to represent civil rights advocates on the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission.

Congratulations to the other 2010 Giants Award Recipients:

Floyd Skinner Justice Award - Tracey Brame
Walter Coe Public Service Award - Michael Remo
Eugene Browning Medical Award - Paul Doyle
Milo Brown Business Award - Jeremiah "Jerry" White Jr.
Ethel Coe Humanities Award - Vanessa Allen
William Glenn Trailblazer Award - Lauri Parks
Phyllis Scott Activist Award - Arlen Dean Gaddy
H.C. Toliver Religious Life Award - The Rev. David R. Jarrett Sr.
Hattie Beverly Education Award - Bernice Elizabeth Graves
Martha Reynolds Labor Award - H. William Dungey
Raymond Tardy Community Service Award - Chana' Yvette Edmond-Verley