Foundation Honors Antonio "L.A." Reid and Martin D. Payson with "Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Awards" at the 2001 Spring Benefit

Anthony L. Watson, CEO of HIP Health Plan of New York Receives Corporate Diversity Award

(Standing) Rabbi Marc Schneier, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Alon Pinkas, Israeli Ambassador, (Honorees Seated) Anthony L. Watson, Martin D. Payson, Antonio "L.A." Reid 

On Thursday March 1, 2001, The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding held its Spring Benefit at the Fifth Avenue home of Dr. Mona Ackerman. The Foundation honored Antonio “L.A.” Reid, CEO and President of Arista Records, and Martin D. Payson, Co-Chairman of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Chairman of Maimonides Hospital, with “The Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Awards.” This award acknowledges Mr. Payson and Mr. Reid for their leadership in strengthening Black/Jewish relations.

The Foundation also presented the Corporate Diversity Award to HIP Health Plan of New York. Anthony L. Watson, Chairman and CEO, of HIP Health Plan of New York, accepted this prestigious award. HIP is known for its exceptionally diverse member base. Membership consists of City, State, and Federal employees, labor unions, Medicaid, Medicare and Child Health Plus recipients. Four years ago with board approval, Mr. Watson moved boldly to recruit what today may be the most diverse and best management team in the health care industry.

Grammy Award winning producer/singer/songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds was the celebrity presenter for the evening. Past celebrity presenters have included Harry Belafonte, Diana Ross, James Earl Jones, Marvin Hamlisch, Wendy Wasserstien, and Jerry Stiller.

Foundation President, Rabbi Marc Schneier, commented that healing was the common bond linking the evening’s honorees. Rabbi Schneier acknowledged Martin Payson and Anthony L. Watson as physical healers given their work at Maimonides Hospital and HIP Heath Plan of New York. Rabbi Schneier then recognized Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds for the spiritual healing that their music provides.

Martin Payson, the only Jewish member of the board of Howard University, commented that the epiphany that changed his life occurred during his tenure at Warner Communications “We were not racists but were not paying attention either, that was when we changed the culture at Time Warner.” Antonio “L.A.” Reid said “despite the racism in the world, color lines are becoming blurred in our music world and were making progress.” Anthony L. Watson summed up the work of the Foundation by stating simply “I choose to see the world as half full.”