The event was held in downtown Los Angeles at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel at 500 S. Grand Avenue and themed “Saluting Women who Change the Game”. Special guests included Sheryl Lee Ralph, Vanessa Williams, Rachel Grant, LaVan Davis and more.
Faye Washington, CEO, YWCA Greater Los Angeles, said, “We are thrilled to salute Venus Williams with the Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award. Venus Williams exemplifies the YWCA’s core mission of ‘eliminating racism, empowering women’. She is the quintessential example of our event theme, ‘Saluting Women who Change the Game’. We are so proud of her accomplishments on and off the court and so grateful to her for embracing our Job Corps program and students.”
Williams was participating in a two-day visit to her hometown Los Angeles to support the YWCA GLA Job Corps. In addition to accepting the Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award, she continued the visit as the guest speaker for the YWCA GLA Job Corps Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday.
This is great for Venus. She has been acknowledged so much off the court over the years, just like award from the anti-defamation league last year. Brava!