WASHINGTON DC, September 12, 2017-The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) is proud to announce their 2017 Byllye Award recipients, hair care entrepreneur Miko Branch, co-founder of Miss Jessie’s and award-winning journalist, Tamron Hall. Each year BWHI selects Black women of exemplary character. BWHI will present both recipients their awards at their annual Black Magic Reception, on September 22, 2017, during the Congressional Black Caucus weekend of activities, in Washington, D.C.
The Byllye Awards are named after Byllye Y. Avery, who founded the organization in 1983. The award is given to women who dare to be strong advocates for the health and wellbeing of Black women.
“As Black women look to each other to find positive role models in heath, whether it be their physical and mental health or their financial and economic stability, which we know impacts their health at all ages and stages of their lives, it is important to take a moment to honor women, such as Miko Branch and Tamron Hall,” says Linda Goler Blount, the President and CEO of BWHI. “We know that every time we can showcase a successful Black woman’s story, we also create opportunities for so many other women to dream, push and work to see themselves.”
In addition to her entrepreneurial spirit and success, Ms. Branch has been on the front line of giving voice to the pain and mental health challenges of Black women, since she lost her sister and co-founder Titi Branch, a long battle with depression that ultimately resulted in her suicide.
Tamron Hall is a shining example of focus, hard work and resilience in her career and life. Ms. Hall lost her sister, Renate to domestic violence and she has brilliantly and boldly cast a light on those affected by domestic violence. She continues to speak out and produce programming that creates awareness, education and calls for action.
About the Black Women’s Health Imperative
The Black Women’s Health Imperative identifies the most pressing health issues that affect the nation’s 21 million Black women and girls and invest in the best of the best strategies, partners and organizations that share our goal: ensuring Black women live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives. For more information go to www.bwhi.org.
The 2017 BWHI Byllye Award Recipients
About Miko Branch
Miko Branch is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie’s LLC. She is celebrated for transforming the hair-care industry by pioneering an entirely new category of products specifically for natural and curly hair. She is also the author of Miss Jessie’s: Creating A Successful Business From Scratch — Naturally . She has been featured on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily and appeared on the cover of Beauty Inc.as a trailblazer, and Ebony listed her as one of its Power 100 Innovators and Influencers. She has also been honored by New York University and Delta Sigma Theta for her entrepreneurship. Miss Jessie’s award-winning products have been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Teen Vogue, Redbook, Essence, Allure Latina, and other publications. She lives in New York with her son.
About Tamron Hall
Award-winning journalist, Tamron Hall has been the host of Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall on Investigation Discovery since September 2013. The series, now in its fifth season, takes an in-depth look at crimes that shocked the nation. She also brought her signature reporting style to the Guns On Campus: Tamron Hall Investigates special that explored the importance of securing one’s personal safety on public property. Tamron was a part of the NBC News team as a co-host of the third hour of NBC News’ TODAY and the anchor of MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall. She received the 2015 Edward R. Murrow Award for Reporting: Hard News in Network Television for her segment on domestic violence as part of TODAY’s “Shine A Light” series. She has been recognized by Day One, a New York-based advocacy group for victims of domestic violence, for her work and support of their efforts. Most recently, Tamron launched The Tamron ❤ Renate Fund with Safe Horizon in honor of her sister to help victims and families affected by domestic violence.