"I've got Harlem on my mind" might be lyrics crooned by pioneering artist Ethel Waters in 1933, but those words continued to resonate this Tuesday night. Harlem's West 125th Street lit up as the famed Apollo Theater, a beacon of Black culture and history, celebrated its 2024 Spring Benefit. The annual celebration, a testament to the theater's 90 years of contributions to the American art canon, honors its past, present, and future.
"The Apollo is not just a theater; it's our history, our culture,"** **Michelle Ebanks, Apollo President and CEO, passionately shares with Right outside the famed Apollo stage doors, VIPs like Doug E. Fresh, Johnny Gill, and Jordin Sparks took the red carpet as Harlem residents looked on, hoping to catch a glimpse of the night's honorees: Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Usher. In recognition of their contributions to culture, Babyface received the inaugural Legacy Award (he had also been inducted into The Apollo's Walk of Fame the day before), and Usher received the prestigious Icon Award.
"Whatever I did in this lifetime, I hope means something in the next 90," Usher tells about how The Apollo has inspired his desire for his legacy. Guests clad in everything from Louis Vuitton to Gaurav Gupta filled the neoclassical theater as the rhythmic pulse of music pulled them in. In true Apollo fashion, the night felt more like an exciting televised award show than a fundraising gala, with surprise performances, comedic hosting by Kym Whitley, moving speeche.
