Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad Accept Their History, Heroes & Hope Award with A Heartfelt Message
Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad Accept Trust’s History, Heroes & Hope Award with Heartfelt Message Celebrating the National Mall
During BALL for THE MALL on October 4, 2022, the Trust for the National Mall celebrated its 2022 History, Heroes & Hope Award honorees who embody the ideals and history represented by the National Mall. The Trust honored celebrated Grammy and Emmy winning artists and activists Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste for their commitment to using their extraordinary platform to do good and promoting principles including unity, equality and freedom.
Due in part to Suleika’s ongoing chemotherapy treatment, the honoree couple were unable to attend, but shared a heartfelt acceptance video before the ballroom audience —inspiring all with their creativity, commitment to positive change and their resilience. Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste asked their friend Dan McGinn, member of the Trust for the National Mall Trust Leadership Committee with his wife Debby and founder and CEO of McGinn and Company, to accept the award on their behalf. You can watch their acceptance video below.
“The acknowledgement by the Trust for the National Mall of what we do and how we believe in using our craft for good means the world to us. It’s something that we do and don’t think about it. But these sorts of things that remind us of the impact we’re having out there, it really moves us.”
“The National Mall is...the place where people gather to protest and to celebrate. It’s important that we have spaces in our national milieu that are about gathering and togetherness....It just adds to this honor for us.”
Jon and Suleika’s award was accepted on their behalf by Dan McGinn, founder and CEO of McGinn and Company. Photos by Tony Powell