Adina Howard, Dominique Nicole, Leslie Segar and guests joined founder Taiwo Oduala at Harmony Gold Preview House on October 10.
All photography in this article taken by photographer Kasdyn Click from Presence News
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The fifth annual Afro Awards brought entertainers, entrepreneurs, media professionals and community figures to Harmony Gold Preview House in Hollywood on Saturday, October 10, 2026, for an evening of awards, performances and red-carpet appearances.
Read the LA Sentinel Coverage from the event here: https://lasentinel.net/afro-awards-celebrate-global-black-excellence-and-cultural-unity.html
Founded by Taiwo Oduala, the Afro Awards recognizes contributions to culture, leadership and humanitarian service across African, African American and diaspora communities. This year’s fifth edition, branded Afro Awards 5.0, continued that mission by bringing recognition for creative achievement and community impact onto the same stage. 2026 Celebration & 2027 Sponsorships
Presence News attended the celebration, which followed a pre-party in Inglewood on October 9. The official red carpet and awards ceremony took place the following evening at Harmony Gold.
Among those present were actress Dominique Nicole, recording artist Adina Howard, founder Taiwo Oduala, Alanna and Maximus Hamilton, Dr. Natasha Weems, Kassha Brown, Presence News founder Kasdyn Click, Leslie Segar and Billy Moss.
Other attendees included Justine Reiss, Susan Irby, Aire Stillman, Othelia Joy, Rich Dee, Oumie Garba Fox, Kennie Leggett, Amina Buddafly, Rashad Todd, Septimius The Great, Brookshire Lafayette, Kray Beatz and Sir Dr. Jose Angel Manaiza Jr., among many others.
Recognition for music, fashion and leadership
Adina Howard was among the evening’s honorees, receiving the R&B Trailblazer Award. Howard also spoke onstage during the ceremony, a moment captured in Presence News’ video coverage.
The official event lineup named Oumie Garba Fox as the Global Leadership & Legacy Award honoree, Karl Kani as the Vanguard of Fashion Award honoree and Tyrone DuBose as the Historian of Sound Award honoree. 2026 Celebration & 2027 Sponsorships
Actress Dominique Nicole participated as a special awards presenter, while Leslie “Big Lez” Segar was also part of the presenting lineup. Comedian Shang Forbes was listed as the ceremony’s host. 2026 Celebration & 2027 Sponsorships
Live performances and the people behind the event
Rich D and Amina Buddafly performed, according to SHEEN Magazine’s event recap. That report identified Kassha Brown as the event’s talent director and co-producer, working alongside founder and executive producer Taiwo Oduala and the wider production team. SHEEN Magazine
Sponsors included What’s Pop’n Snacks and 24K Tequila, supporting the fifth annual gathering.
Presence News shares red-carpet coverage
Presence News photographed guests on the official red carpet and documented moments from the stage. Its coverage included both the October 9 pre-party in Inglewood and the October 10 awards event in Hollywood.
Three photo albums/posts from the festivities are available on the Presence News Facebook page. Guests are welcome to find their photographs, download them for social sharing and tag Presence News when reposting.
The fifth annual Afro Awards brought together people working across entertainment, business, media and community service, marking another year for a platform built around recognizing achievement and humanitarian contributions.
