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| Jacqueline Ann Shaw-Ross |
Among the honored guests at Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc.’s 17th annual Recognition and Benefit Dinner with Silent Auction are actress Jacqueline Ann Shaw-Ross and internationally renowned speaker Zora Brown. The event will be 6 p.m. Oct. 22, 2011, at the Petroleum Club in Oklahoma City, OK.
Other honorees are Susan Bumgarner, Robin Dorner, Greg Eskridge, Rosetta Funches, Jordan Janelle Harris, The Links, Inc., Beverly Story and Sandra Thompson.
According to a recent news release, Jacqueline Ann Shaw-Ross, a native Oklahoman, began entertaining at an early age. At age 14, she won the state title of Hal Jackson’s Talented Teen International and made her first trip to Hollywood, Calif., to compete in the national talent pageant. After returning, she started performing in theatrical plays and musicals at John Marshall High School. Her talents led to an offer for a full theatrical scholarship at the University of Central Oklahoma.
While at UCO, she appeared in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “No Snakes in this Grass.”
Jacqueline continued acting in local commercials and won the title of Miss Oklahoma Petite through JoAnn Fullerton’s Modeling Agency. She became the first Miss Black UCO. Today, an award is given out to the most photogenic contestant called “The Jackie Shaw Award.”
After earning a bachelors’ degree in oral communications, she was a broadcast news anchor at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City for two years before moving to Hollywood, where she landed her first starring role in the critically acclaimed Disney film, “The Ernest Green Story,” a historical film which told the story of the “Little Rock 9” filmed in Arkansas. The film is often seen on television during Black History Month. Shaw-Ross worked with notables in the acting field including Morris Chestnut, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, CCH Pounder and others.
Shaw-Ross has appeared in guest starring roles on ABC’s “Family Matters” and NBC’s “California Dreams.” She is married to Shavar Ross, a veteran actor and former child star who is best known for his role as Dudley, Gary Coleman’s best friend on the 1980s hit television show “Diff’rent Strokes.” She and her husband are now film producers.
Zora Brown is an outspoken advocate for minority and women’s health issues, presenting at both national and international forums. She was a featured speaker at both the 1992 and 2004 Republican National Conventions. She has served as consultant to the U. S. Conference of Mayors since 1996. Zora was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the National Cancer Advisory Board and the National Cancer Institute. Her experience includes administrative assistant at the White House and an assistant in the national affairs office of Ford Motor Co. She serves on numerous boards nationally and internationally.
She is founder of Rise, Sister, Rise, a breast cancer support group model for African American women. Zora founded Cancer Awareness Program Services (CAPS) and the Breast Cancer Resource Committee (BCRC). Under her leadership, BCRC is responsible for the television broadcast production “Life: Rising Above Breast Cancer.” She is co-author of a book with Dr. Harold Freeman. She co-produced a CD-ROM utilizing the breast cancer risk assessment tool set to original jazz. Brown has appeared on the networks and CNN and other media as an expert on women’s health.
Brown is the recipient of numerous awards including the Magic Johnson Foundation, Gift of Life Award, the 1992 Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Community Service Award, 2001 Spelman College Community Service Award, and the 1996 Howard University Cancer Center Community Service Award. Brown, along with Oprah Winfrey, was named one of the 1997 ten Women’s Health Heroes. She received a special citation in the Congressional Record in 1995. Brown is special assistant for Health and Minority Initiatives at INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City.
The elegant evening of honor and fine dining at the Petroleum Club will include stellar auction items including Art Quilts by Lola Jenkins, Uniquely Designed BLAC Inc. Limited Edition Jewelry for men and women by Naifeh Jewelry, a weekend golf outing in Scottsdale, Ariz., with reception hosted by Horace Stevenson in his 6,600-square-foot home with swimming pool surrounded by 79 orange trees and includes hotel and airfare, VISA gift cards, drawings and a $17 auction table to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the event. For more information, call (405) 524-3800.
