Ebony Tie Affair Marks 30 Years of Celebrating African American Leadership and Legacy in Wilmington

WILMINGTON — More than 400 African American men gathered at The Waterfall Banquet Facility on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, for the 30th Annual Ebony Tie Affair, celebrating achievement, brotherhood, and legacy in the spirit of prominent Wilmington civil rights attorney Louis L. Redding.

Ebony Tie Affair Chair Wali W. Rushdan II, Esq., said the celebration centers on fellowship, preserving legacy, and African American men uplifting one another.

“It’s not a big I, little you situation,” Rushdan said. “Everyone can celebrate because we’re all celebrating together.”

Redding, the first African American admitted to the Delaware Bar, played a pivotal role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) decision that led to the desegregation of public schools in the United States. He brought desegregation cases in Claymont and Hockessin, Delaware, which were later combined with cases from other states and the District of Columbia to form the historic Supreme Court case.

While Thurgood Marshall served as the public face of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s legal team, Redding had already established a distinguished legal career. Admitted to the bar in 1929, he successfully challenged discrimination in housing, employment, and the criminal justice system before joining the NAACP’s legal efforts.

The Ebony Tie Affair is traditionally held on the Monday before Thanksgiving and marks the start of the holiday season.

Dr. Carlton Lampkins, who works with the organization's Youth Symposium, said the event unites accomplished African American men from a wide range of industries, including government, education, law, medicine, and the nonprofit sector, while also fostering the next generation of leaders.

“It spotlights the achievements of Black men, and it spotlights the brotherhood,” Lampkins said. “We are a reflection of the diversity in our communities.”

Dr. William E. Bazzelle Sr., a renowned scientist with a nearly40-year career at DuPont as a chemist, mentor and manager, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. "I appreciate it. I'm humbled. I'm not sure I'm deserving, but I'm here," Bazzelle said. "I hope I've touched some lives as I've moved along the way."

History

The Ebony Tie Affair traces its roots to 1989, when approximately 20 men gathered informally for a dinner honoring Redding, then known as the “Black Men Celebration.” Five years later, a group of prominent African American leaders expanded the gathering into a larger collective.

On Sept. 29, 1995, approximately 100 Black men convened at the Rodney Square Club atop the Wilmington Trust Building to celebrate both individual and collective achievements. The event was organized by James H. Gilliam Jr., Calvin H. Christopher, James H. Gilliam Sr., John W. Land, Norman Lockman, the Honorable Gregory M. Sleet, and Dr. Alton Williams.

“Chairman James H. Gilliam Jr. conveyed to the participants that the primary purpose of the black-tie event was to remind attendees that ‘we are not alone, nor are we disappearing islands; rather, we are prospering in greater numbers,’” according to the Ebony Tie Affair history published in the event program.

Although the original organizers did not envision an annual celebration, the response was so positive that the event was officially branded the Ebony Tie Affair in 1999.

“This collection of African American professionals has since met annually with the primary purpose of celebrating the achievements of African American men across many fields of endeavor,” the history states.

Thirty years after its founding, the Ebony Tie Affair continues to serve as both a celebration and a call to action—connecting established leaders with emerging voices. It also reinforces the importance of collective responsibility. Through fellowship and example, the men of the Ebony Tie Affair demonstrate how leadership today extends beyond individual success to meaningful impact within families, institutions, and communities.

Rushdan said he is honored to carry forward the tradition established by the event’s founders.

“The men who are the vanguards have inspired me,” Rushdan said. “I appreciate the presentation of history. That was the best way to celebrate the legacy.”

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