Tickets are $70 and can be obtained by calling 937-228-3939.
The event celebrates mentors, role models and philanthropists.
Honorees were selected by an evaluation process that involves members of the community and a Parity committee.
"It is very competitive," Richard Wright, Parity's executive director, said. "They (honorees) are focused on community service and service to youth."
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Parity Inc. is a nonprofit organization with a mission that includes “improving and strengthening the educational, economic and social opportunities for African-Americans in Montgomery County.”
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Each honoree received an award along with a Kente cloth cap and shawl.
Since its start, 250 men have been honored.
This year’s top 10 African-American males are listed below, with biographical information taken from materials provided by Parity, Inc.
STEVEN ALSTON
Alston is an IT professional and a key member of the Enterprise Information Management team at CareSource. Prior to this position, he spent many years with General Electric working in various positions within their Financial Services division.
He encourages young people to pursue academic preparation in the STEM area.
Alston is an active member of The Unity Lodge #115. His many responsibilities include his participation with a group that focuses on the development of young men called the Pythagorans.
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His engagement and work with his own son helped him achieve the top leadership position within the Ohio Grand Chapter.
The program focuses on promoting health, social activity, educational, vocational, character, and all-around development of boys throughout Ohio — building better sons of today and men of tomorrow.
Alston served as a volunteer athletic coach with the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) neighborhood leagues for many years in youth basketball, soccer and flag football.
He teaches young people the mechanics of technical athleticism and spends even more time on teaching them the importance of soft skills like teamwork, leadership, self-control, negotiation skills, dedication and loyalty.
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DR. MAJOR K. LEE III
Raised in Florida by his grandmother, Lee majored in zoology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He later earned a degree in dentistry, specializing in pediatrics.
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Lee has served greater Dayton as a pediatric dentist for nearly 45 years. He began attending to the needs of children and adolescents at Drew Health Center before starting a private practice on West Third Street.
In later years, he used skills acquired from an uncle and converted a barn into a dental office in Trotwood.
In addition to practicing dentistry, he was one in a group of medical professionals who worked to create Horizons in Medicine, an introduction into medical specialties for junior- and senior-level high school students.
Lee served on the board of the Dayton Dental Society and was one of the founders of the Trotwood Education Foundation, established to provide resources for students enrolled in the Trotwood Madison School District.
REV. DERRICK L. MALONE SR.
Malone has been the owner and operator of Roofcrete since 1998 and serves as teen pastor at Omega Baptist Church.
After serving in the Navy, Malone earned an associate’s degree in correctional science from Sinclair Community College. He went on to receive a bachelor's degree in sociology from Wright State University and to pursue a master’s degree in education at the University of Dayton.
He was a Colonel White High School history teacher from 1997 to 2005 and was the head golf, cross country, and track coach.
He volunteers at Thurgood Marshall STEM High School, teaching ninth- and 10th-graders history.
In addition, he does public speaking at Trotwood High School and is a community leader and community activist.
JAMES L. MARTIN
Born in Alabama and raised in Dayton, Martin is employed by Dell EMC as an account executive. He manages Dell partners and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
His team helps their customers to architect a hardware and software computer solution for their OEM products or for internal use.
Martin encourages black students to consider high tech careers and uses his influence to seek recruits from historically black colleges and universities.
He mentors minorities in business and technical sales via the Dell Black Network Alliance.
Martin is a deacon and board member for the Omega Baptist Church and serves as the chair of the Employment and the Finance Committee.
The committee offers financial counseling to those in need and financially supports youth ministries.
Martin is a stage four cancer survivor and mentors others with cancer, sharing his story of being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
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He went through chemo and radiation for a time. The Federal Drug Administration approved a half match bone marrow transplant program while he was going through the chemo and radiation treatment.
The half match bone marrow transplant was successful.
Martin is a U10 coach in soccer at Northmont, tutors and is involved with the Parents Teacher Organization at his grandson’s school. He also coaches fourth-grade basketball for the Trotwood Elementary Basketball Organization.
Martin is also a WATCH D.O.G.S (Dads of Great Students), a nationally recognized program to involve male role models in their student's school.
He serves on the Trotwood City Charter Review Committee and as the treasurer for the Trotwood Fire & Rescue Levy.
BRANDON C. MCCLAIN
A North Carolina native, McClain holds a master of science degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati and graduated from the University of Dayton’s College of Law with a Juris Doctor degree.
McClain earned the rank of sergeant prior to his honorable discharge from the Army National Guard.
McClain was recently elected the Montgomery County Recorder, after being appointed in March 2018 following the passing of Willis Blackshear Sr.
McClain was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in 2011 and the United States Tax Court in 2012.
His professional affiliations include membership in the Ohio Recorder’s Association, the Ohio Bar Association, the Ohio Magistrate’s Association, and Chairman of the Dayton Bar Association’s Diversity Issues Subcommittee.
He is a former acting judge and magistrate in the Dayton Municipal Court and assistant public defender in the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office.
He was also a principal attorney in McClain Anastasi LLC.
He serves on the Dayton Public Schools’ Operational Advisory Committee, the Board of Trustees for the Dayton Bar Association, the Mary Scott Nursing Center Board of Directors, the Sinclair Community College Paralegal Program Advisory Committee, and is a Men of Color Initiative Participant at Dunbar High School.
RONNIE MORELAND
A Dayton native, Moreland began his public service work with The West Dayton Boys & Girls Club in the 1970s.
He is a past co-president of Leaders for Equality and Action in Dayton (LEAD) where he helped provide leadership to a network of diverse faith-based congregations to address and negotiate to solve various community-based problems.
He was instrumental in assisting LEAD in securing the extension of public transportation to Greene County through a ruling from the U.S. Department of Transportation Civil Rights Division in 2013.
The effort was captured by a documentary film "Free to Ride" that was produced by The Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute for Race and Ethnicity.
An Air Force veteran, Moreland was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal, and an Outstanding Unit Medal.
After his service, Moreland was employed by the City of Dayton for 10 years and was a union steward with the American Federation of County, State, and Municipal Employees (AFCSME) Ohio Council 8.
Moreland is a deacon at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and is the co-convener of The Dayton Community Revitalization Network (DCRN).
The nonprofit organization’s mission is to improve the quality of life of West Dayton residents.
He is on track to complete his master of arts degree in public administration from Wright State in May of 2019.
WESTON LOUIS PHILPOT II
A Roosevelt High School football and track standout, Philpot received a full National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scholarship to the University of Dayton where he studied education and counseling. Philpot continued his education in the field of computer science at Wright State.
A business owner, Philpot holds a master level counseling license from the state of Ohio and has worked for all the major mental health centers in Montgomery County, including Crisis Care.
He provides start-up assistance to help individuals start their own business and develops policies for new agencies to meet local, state and federal guidelines. Weston shared his business and community service knowledge as an economic development panelist for the 2018/19 Parity Inc. Black Leadership Program.
Philpot is active in the community with programs and community boards, including the dropout prevention task force at the Wesley Center.
He works with and advocates for youth through his service as a member of the National Association of Juvenile Correctional Agencies, the Ohio Youth Services Network and the Foster Care Citizen’s Review Board.
Mr. Philpot II is a Mason and has advanced to the highest level in the Masonic Order with the 33rd Masonic Degree.
He assists foster care students in receiving scholarships so that they can attend and finish college.
AMAHA SELLASSIE
A Dayton native, Sellassie holds a master of arts degree in sociology from the University of Cincinnati and is currently working on his Ph.D. there.
He is an assistant professor at Sinclair Community College and the director of the college’s Center of Applied Social Issues.
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Sellassie was a member and chair of the City of Dayton Human Relations Council and used this platform of influence to heal wounds, build trust and repair the social fabric among diverse communities within the city and region.
As a public sociologist and practitioner scholar, Sellassie actively pursues equity through listening and walking with the community to center their voice in public policy.
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He is president of the Gem City Market Co-op Board, which will be a full-service grocery store located within the food desert of Northwest Dayton. Sellassie is the chair of the Community College Committee for North Central Sociological Association and a member of the Dayton City Manager Roundtable and the Community Police Council of Dayton.
He helped initiate a sustained dialogue series among Sinclair faculty, staff and students; and initiated and co-directs a free summer/after-school Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M) centered enrichment program called West Dayton Strong for the youth of Desoto Bass public housing.
Among other things, Sellassie helped initiate the inaugural Sankofa Kente Stole ceremony at SCC, serves as a mentor with the Restorative Rites of Passage at Dayton Boys Prep and is co-chair of the Dayton Martin Luther King Jr. March.
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DAVID WEBB SR.
Webb is the founder and CEO of The Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center.
The facility at 113 E. Third St. in downtown Dayton houses the history and memorabilia of numerous funk music artists.
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As part of his duties, Webb leads tours, solicits support, other volunteers, uses his own funds for support, and is an overall advocate and champion for the funk center.
He received the Roxie L. Cole Leadership Award in 2016 for his guidance of the funk center and the highest honor awarded by DATV for programming and leadership execution.
His work in the media includes “The Funk Chronicles,” “On the 1 with Gee,” and “Talk Back with Rhine McLin.”
“The Funk Chronicles” has won the Philo Awards for excellence in television and talk programming, best interview entertainment, and arts and cultural awareness honors.
Webb was a speaker at TEDx Dayton in 2016.
The 15-year member and past president of Union Lodge #18 Prince Hall Freemasonry in Troy was the Rite Worshipful Education Officer for the 4th Masonic District in 2010.
He currently volunteers for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Webb is pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University.
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ROSHAWN WINBURN
Winburn has 25 years of experience in financial, wealth management and business development services.
As an entrepreneur, he both invests in businesses and provides consulting services to companies in the areas of business strategy, development, and financial management.
He has worked at the city of Dayton Human Relations Council since 2012 and is the program director for the Greater Dayton Minority Business Assistance Center
As a Miami Valley Community Action Partnership instructor, he teaches micro-enterprise and entrepreneurship as a tool for wealth creation.
Winburn developed a free podcast series for financial literacy and wealth management.
He served in the U.S. Air Force and Ohio Air National Guard and was Huber Heights’ first black councilman.
Winburn’s board service has included Parity Inc., Norris Cole Foundation, BJ Kids Foundation, the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio and Co-op Dayton.
He is a committee member of the United Way of Greater Dayton’s Community Impact Council and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition to the Economic Development Committee of the NAACP
He serves on state advisory boards for First Financial and Fifth Third Banks.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
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