(AllHipHop News) Last night, the Asia Society and Museum in New York City was the location of the Second Annual WEEN Awards Gala, which was co-hosted by CNN’s Don Lemon and the Chair of WEEN, Valeisha Butterfield. The event, which was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., honored Nia Long, actor and philanthropist; Soledad O’Brien, CNN anchor and special correspondent; LeToya Luckett, Grammy award-winning R&B singer; Angie Martinez, multimedia personality; Esther Silver-Parker, President and CEO of The SilverParker Group; and Hydeia Broadbent, International HIV/AIDS activist. Singer/Songwriter Kandi Burruss hosted the pre- awards reception with entertainment by R&B crooners Bilal, Lyfe Jennings, and Shontelle. Estelle, Gayle King, Egypt, and others presented the awards to the six well-deserving women, who have played a role in the empowerment of women worldwide. Up and down the red carpet, celebrities shared what it meant for them to be in attendance and the importance of women in our society. The WEEN award recipients were glowing, one shed tears of joy, but they all were very humbled to be recognized for their accomplishments. “It feels amazing because I never get awards and I have no words,” Angie Martinez told AllHipHop.com. “I’m just honored, I feel grateful, and my mom is here. “It’s just really nice to be amongst women, my peers, and to be able to stand up there and have that moment is going to be really nice,” Martinez continued. “Also, I adore what WEEN does, so even if I wasn’t being honored tonight, I would absolutely be here to support this event.” “I came here to support this one to support my colleague Soledad O’Brien and number two because women are very important to me,” said Don Lemon. “I’m the only boy in a family of women. My dad died when I was seven years old. There was no male figure in the house, just me and a bunch of women. I’m here because of those women.” Founded in 2007 by Valeisha Butterfield, Kristi Henderson, Lauren Lake and Sabrina Thompson, the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network is a worldwide coalition of women and men, all ages and races, committed to supporting, promoting and defending the balanced, positive portrayal of women in entertainment and society.
