Amariyah Mallory 
True Star recently held its fundraiser, True Star Rising, at its Bronzeville headquarters and it was a night to remember.
Hosted by comedian and Chief Growth Officer Micheal Issac, the True Star Rising event was a night full of networking, music, and celebration. The event featured speeches from the True Star Co-founders DeAnna Sherman and Na-Tae’ Thompson.
In 2004 the two women created a newsletter that allowed a group of Chicago teens to express themselves and be introduced to the world of journalism and the field of communications. Now, 21 years later, the company has bloomed into something bigger than the two young women from the South Side of Chicago could have ever imagined. With the success of youth at its core, young people from ages 14-24 years old can participate in a range of programs including journalism, digital media production, video editing and podcasting.
This year True Star was happy to present three of their alumni Sullivan Grace Anderson, Afua Asantewaa, and Ashlee Jordan with the Legacy League Award.
Other award recipients included Icon Award winner, Kanard Gibbs, the BET Network Media Executive who was also the fireside chat guest, and current True Star student journalist Jermale Dabney who is a prime example of what a star is. While working for True Star for the past four years, Dabney has covered a variety of stories. He enjoys sports broadcasting the most and will continue to further his education at Missouri University in the fall. Aside from shining bright at True Star, Dabney shined his light at the NABJ JSHOP convention where he won the Big Impact Award.
“It felt amazing to be recognized by Mrs. DeAnna and Mrs. Na-Tae’ for my work with True Star,” said Dabney, recipient of a $1000 Scholarship. “I’ve been a part of the program for a pretty long time, so it was an absolute honor to receive an award for it!”
Thompson was pleased by this year’s turnout in Bronzeville. “It was great to see so many of our supporters, friends, and family members come out to our headquarters and support us. The money that we raised will go towards sustaining our programs and providing more paid opportunities for Chicago’s youth.”
By the end of the night, we did not meet our $60,000 goal. The good news is that you can still help us celebrate our 21-year anniversary and continue empowering Chicago’s youth. Click this True Star Rising link to make your donation today.
By Amariyah Mallory, Junior, Whitney Young
IG: Dancemari_
True Star Media’s content is made possible thanks to donors like you. Invest in today’s young creators and transform lives by donating at truestarmedia.org/donate throughout the year.
