Last night, Attorney General Eric H. Holder and actor Blair Underwood were among those honored at the 11th Annual Thurgood Marshall College Fund Awards held at the Galleria in Washington, DC. The event, held during the Congressional Black Caucus' Legislative Week, awarded Naeshaun Briggs and Jarvis Jones full rides to Howard University.

Sponsor Hennessy presented a $66,000 check in the name of the Henessy 44 Future Leaders Scholarship, which was funded by proceeds from the Hennessy 44 Limited Edition bottle, celebrating the historic inauguration of our 44th President. Eva Marcille of America's Next Top Model presented an award and Sheryl Underwood (no relation to Blair) was on hand for the positive festivities as well.

Noel Hankin, Andy Glaser, Eva Marcille and Dwayne Ashley, President, Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Try as he might, Marion Barry, 73, cannot erase the fact that most Americans know him as the mayor caught smoking crack on videotape in a 1990 sting operation – the same year Washington, D.C., had the dubious distinction of being the murder capital of the world.

Despite this humiliating and seemingly career-ending circumstance, today Barry is as beloved in Chocolate City as ever. Most recently, he was elected as a city council member for D.C.'s poorest area, Ward 8, his third successful election since that 1990 scandal. His political presence also provokes vitriol from many corners of the city.

Barry's phoenix-like political career, and his fascinating and flawed personal life, are chronicled in the documentary 'The Nine Lives of Marion Barry,' which premieres tonight on HBO. It highlights not only a politician rocked by scandal but a brilliant young man who overcame bitter circumstances to work in the civil rights movement and serve in public office.

South Side Chicago landmark Apostolic Church of God served as the site of the kick off of the National Urban League's annual convention last night. Urban Leaguers, church members, the press, business leaders and politicians – including Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn – packed the 5,000-seat place of worship as inspiring words flowed like manna on how to best shape the economic and social future of African Americans.

The church swayed to the sounds of a booming and melodious gospel choir, while speakers like Chicago Urban League CEO Cheryle Jackson and 15-year-old DeMarco Diggs showed the best of Chicago's young leadership. Marc Morial, president and CEO of the 99-year-old advocacy organization, delivered a rousing keynote to officially kick off the four-day convention, themed "The Path to Power."

Notable participants in this year's conference included Soledad O'Brien and Roland Martin, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous, Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Ne-Yo, Tracee Ellis Ross, Terrence Howard, Tyra Banks, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Vice President Joe Biden and many more.

A few days before the convention, Morial spoke with BV to talk about the future of civil rights organizations in general and how the Urban League has been impacted by the economy.

What are the biggest challenges facing the Urban League this year given our current economic situation?

Our big challenge facing us, in these tough times, is that the number of people who need our services has dramatically increased. Let me give you a number. In 2008, we served 2 million people; in 2007, we served 1.3 million. So we had a 50 percent increase in the number of people served. That's significant. The challenge is we need resources. We're not a volunteer movement, we're a professional movement. People work for us full time. We have educators, social workers, public administrators and workforce development specialists who work in our offices around the nation. And the challenge we face is that demand is up and money is tight.

In what has been a whirlwind week of coverage, Black Voices has been quoted in the New York Times as well as in a segment on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric regarding the newest Disney movie, "The Princess and The Frog" which presents the animated studio's first African American princess, Tiana.

Black Voices has proudly been on this story since 2006, before there was even a movie to speak of. Back then, the community boards were abuzz and this mother of a young girl who never saw herself reflected in all the plethora of Disney princess memorabilia wanted to know when, in fact, we were going to get an African American princess. A year later Disney decided to make 'The Princess and the Frog,' and unfortunately, the movie has not been without its controversy.

When the movie was first announced, the princess' name was "Maddy" and she was a maid in 1920s New Orleans. After a bit of an uproar, her name was changed to the more African American sounding "Tiana" and her occupation became chef. As details of the movie (which is not slated to come out until December 2009) leaked out there was yet another wrinkle -- Tiana's love interest was not an African American prince. His name is Naveen (Indian), he is voiced by a Brazilian actor, he comes from a made up land and he could be Dominican.

"You are what you eat," or so the saying goes. And that's doubly true for brain food. A few generations ago, it was inconceivable that a black man would be president of the United States. In fact, Sambo and Aunt Jemima were among the more positive portrayals of African Americans at the time. For decades the nation digested images that nourished bigotry and worked their way into our cultural DNA. Yet, the converse is also true. That is, with different images of blacks in media, African Americans could be celebrated, trusted and even loved.

Over the last 60 years there has been a profound shift in perception wherein Americans of all stripes literally looked up to black men and women -- on posters, movie screens and stages. Popular culture (including sports) chipped away at misperceptions, prejudices and just plain fear, while "real-life" society and politics simultaneously reflected a more integrated society. So in this year's historic election, instead of the "Bradley Effect," we got the "Cosby Effect" and instead of politics as usual we now have Barack Hussein Obama as our president, due in no small part to TV, ads, music and movies -- that and the fact that he was supremely qualified for the job.

"They would give me an African name, Barack, meaning blessing, believing that in a tolerant America, your name is no barrier to success"-- Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

There will be repercussions from this election for years to come – a more informed and active citizenship, a more "color blind society," Supreme Court placements, and, of course, the fact that the most prominent African-American on earth is not a rapper, athlete or actor.

One of the more obscure but no less significant changes will also be for those whose names fall outside of the "norm" – a significant portion of the African American community, and probably the world – that they may be judged a bit more for the content of their character and not for the name they were given.

The election of Barack Obama means more to children named Hayat, Jabril, Karu or Ayaana than can be estimated. And as the mother of two children with such names, it means a lot to me.