RECOGNIZE. ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO TEXT MESSAGES NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER CLICK ON ANY LINK.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: WELL, WE ARE
JUST 5 DAYS AWAY FROM THE
JACKSONVILLE IMAGE AWARDS AND
NEWS FOR JAX IS EXCITED TO
CELEBRATE BLACK EXCELLENCE IN
NORTHEAST FLORIDA. ALL OF OUR
NOMINEES ARE SPECIAL AND DOING
SOME PRETTY AMAZING WORK.
THERE IS ONE AWARD, THOUGH
THAT RECOGNIZES SOMEONE WHO
HAS DONE THE WORK OVER THE
ENTIRE COURSE OF A LONG
CAREER.
>> AND IS INSPIRING OTHERS TO
DO THE VERY SAME THING. SO THE
LAST TIME THAT WE WERE IN
PERSON DOING THIS, HAVING THIS
FUN WAS IN 2020.
>> AND THE WINNER OF THE
PINNACLE AWARD IS NICOLE
THOMAS.
♪
THOMAS. ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ >> IS NICOLE THOMAS IS NOW
PRESIDENT OF BAPTIST MEDICAL
CENTER JACKSONVILLE 2 YEARS
AGO WHEN SHE WAS ON THAT
STAGE, SHE WAS BAPTIST MEDICAL
CENTER, SOUTH PRESIDENT. SO
NOW WE HAVE EXPANDED DURING
THOMAS’S SPEECH. SHE SAID HER
INITIAL GOAL WAS JUST TO BE
VICE PRESIDENT TAHA. LOOK AT
YOU NOW. SHE IS JOINING US
LIVE TODAY. AND FIRST,
CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS. NEW
U.S. GAVE THIS BIG POSITION.
IT’S A BIG JOB. HOW’S IT
GOING? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY. IT’S
WONDERFUL. ABSOLUTELY. AN
HONOR.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: TO CONTINUE
TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY IN
SUCH A SIGNIFICANT WAY AT THE
BAPTIST DOWNTOWN CAMPUS. YEAH,
AND I WANT TO POINT OUT, YOU
KNOW, WE WERE JUST TALKING
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND
FIRST WOMAN WHEN YOU ARE JUST
BACK TO SOUTH AND NOW SAME
ROLE IN A MUCH BIGGER THE
WHOLE HOSPITAL SYSTEM HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE.
>> YOU KNOW, THE HONOR OF THAT
AND I’M SURE YOU’RE SO FEEL
THE MAGNITUDE OF THAT IN THE
ROLE MODEL THAT YOU ARE FOR A
LOT OF YOUNG GIRLS. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I ACCEPT THAT BECAUSE I
BELIEVE YOUNG WOMEN CAN SEE
WHAT THEY CAN. THEY CAN BE IT
RIGHT. AND SO WE WANT PEOPLE
TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
KNOW ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND I’M
GRATEFUL TO HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. SO 2
YEARS AGO, YOU WON THIS AWARD
OF WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU
PERSONALLY? WOW, TO BE THE
WINNER OF THE PINNACLE. AWARD
WAS JUST A WONDERFUL
RECOGNITION. A PRIVILEGE TO
RELATE TO STAND. I’M ON STAGE
AND REPRESENT SO MANY OF THOSE
WHO COULD HAVE BEEN A STANDING
THERE. WHAT A WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY. NOW, ONE THING I
REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE ON IN
SPECIALLY THE CREW. YOU KNOW,
THEY WERE LIKE, WHY HASN’T
THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?
EVERYBODY WAS IN TEARS DURING
THOSE SPEECHES AND I WANT TO
PLAY PART OF YOURS BECAUSE I
FEEL LIKE IT WAS SO
SIGNIFICANT IN THAT MOMENT.
>> I STAND BEFORE YOU AS
EVIDENCE THAT GLASS CEILINGS
ARE BEING BROKEN. THAT GENDER
PAY GAPS ARE BEING CLOSED.
PATH BEHIND ME IS SMOOTHER
BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT ALL
OF US ARE DOING.
>> AND AND MEAN, YOU GIVE A
SHOUT OUT TO THE OTHER
NOMINEES ARE IN THAT CATEGORY.
THEY WERE HUGE AND STILL ARE
HUGE FIGURES HERE YOU KNOW,
YOUR WORDS WERE SO POWERFUL
THAT DAY. AND I THINK, YOU
KNOW, IT’S IMPORTANT TO
RECOGNIZE AND THAT’S WHAT THE
AWARD IS ABOUT, BECAUSE SO
MANY POLITICAL, I WOULD SAY A
LOT OF PEOPLE TO THE PINNACLE
WINNERS ARE. BUT WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER
CATEGORIES, EDUCATION, MUSIC,
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT SILENTLY
WORKING IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT
NEVER GET ANY SHINE AND JUST
DO THE WORK INDEED. SO THIS
AWARD IS A WONDERFUL WAY TO
JUST CELEBRATE THE TALENT, THE
POTENTIAL AND THE
CONTRIBUTIONS TH SO MANY
HEROES ARE DOING HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE TO MAKE THIS A
GREAT PLACE TO LIVE ARE GOING
TO SEE ON SATURDAY. ALL RIGHT.
SO I’M ACTUALLY PRESENTING ONE
OF A VERY NICE. ALL RIGHT. SO
OUR PAST WONDERS WILL BE AND
ALSO WE STILL HAVE TICKETS. SO
PLEASE, PLEASE COME ON OUT AND
SHARE WITH US. I’M TELLING YOU
IT WILL BE A NIGHT THAT YOU
WILL NOT FORGET.
>> AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY
INVITING EVERYONE IN THE
COMMUNITY, NOT JUST
AFRICAN-AMERICANS. YOU KNOW,
IT’S REALLY OPENED TO
EVERYONE. SO IT IS A
CELEBRATION THAT I THINK
REALLY DOES HELP OUR COMMUNITY
AS A WHOLE. SO IT IS SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER 17TH DOORS OPEN AT
4.30. SO WE START WITH A
LITTLE COCKTAIL EVERYONE WILL
HAVE SOME NICE MINGLING THERE.
AND THEN WE’LL ACTUALLY START
THE PERFORMANCE A LITTLE BIT
AFTER THERE AT UNF. BUT THAT
WAS OUR PERFORMANCE HALL. WE
DO HAVE SOME TICKETS LEFT
NEWS. 4 JAX DOT COM SLASH
JACKSONVILLE IMAGE AWARDS AND