The following is from the WOOD-TV web site:
The Giants Awards, an event that honors the accomplishments of African-American community leaders in West Michigan, were handed out Saturday night. The Grand Rapids Community College Diversity Learning Center accepted nominations throughout the year and more than a dozen leaders were honored at this 28th annual event.
12 recipients are given various awards and then the "Giant among Giants" award, the most prestigious honor, is handed out.
The "Giant among Giants" award for 2010 was given to Grand Rapids resident Mary Edmond. Edmond is a former educator and administrator with the Grand Rapids Public Schools. She worked in the district for 32 years.
She created the African American archives at the Grand Rapids Public Library. According to their website: "For over 30 years Mary Edmond's personal mission has been to contribute to the awareness and understanding of African American history as an integral part of American history. The presentation I + We = Us: Preserving and Sharing African American History is a result of her research and work to uncover African American history in the state of Michigan and right here in Grand Rapids. She will also share the results of her latest effort to research her own family genealogy."
She also created "150 years of African American Presence in Kent County", a long running exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. She was reappointed by Governor Granholm to represent civil rights advocates on the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission.
