Sir Shefik Receives Citation Award from Michaelle C. Solages of New York State Assembly

ELMONT, N.Y. — New York State Assembly (https://nyassembly.gov) is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Michaelle C. Solages serves as Assembly Member of Assembly District 22. She was initially elected in 2012, and she is the first person of Haitian descent to be elected into the New York State Legislature. She currently serves as the Assembly Deputy Majority Leader as well as Chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. Through her work, she strives to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and protected equally under the law throughout New York State.

On the occasion of the 4th Annual Elmont Juneteenth Celebration Festival, Assembly Member Solages honored media personality, philanthropist, and technology maven Sir Shefik Macauley (known mononymously as Shefik) (https://shefik.info) with a Citation Award from New York State Assembly. The festival was held on June 15, 2024, presented by Elmont Cultural Center (https://www.theelmontculturalcenter.org).

Elmont Cultural Center is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing cultural understanding and social engagement in its community. The goal is to create a space where people can come together to learn, grow, and make a difference in the world around them. With a focus on education, activism, and community, the organization invites all to join in making a change that matters.

The Citation Award acknowledged and applauded the following recitals to Shefik:

• A Great State is only as great as the citizens who give exemplary services to their community.

• Shefik's career started as an entertainment publicist at Double XXposure in New York City. In 1997, he founded his own entertainment company, Knight Entities, Inc., and quickly gained recognition, earning a spot in the "International Who's Who of Entrepreneurs" in 1999.

• He worked as a technical producer at TIME magazine, developing web-based applications and training editorial staff on technology usage. During his time at TIME, he developed a live blogging system used for major events like the 2008 United States presidential election. His expertise in web development led him to work with major companies like Condé Nast Digital, Columbia Law School, Viacom, IBM, CNBC, and NBCUniversal.

• He also contributed to projects for brands like GQ, Vanity Fair, MTV, and Merriam-Webster. His dedication to service has earned him prestigious awards like the President's Volunteer Service Award and the Communitas Leadership Award.

• The dedication and commitment of Sir Shefik Macauley is worthy of the esteem of both the Long Island community and the State of New York.

Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.

The day was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when the 117th United States Congress enacted, and President Joe Biden signed, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

Activist Opal Lee, often referred to as the "grandmother of Juneteenth", campaigned for decades to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, leading walks in many states to promote the idea. From 2016 to 2017, at the age of 89, she led a symbolic walk from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington D.C. to advocate for the federal holiday. When it was officially made a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, she was standing beside President Joe Biden as he signed the bill.

"I am honored to receive this prestigious recognition from New York State Assembly," says Shefik.

Shefik is the Executive Producer and Host of the nationally syndicated, terrestrial radio show "Shefik presents Invocation" (https://invocation.co), as well as the internationally distributed video series of the same name. The radio show currently has a total of over 1 million dedicated listeners per month, and the combined multimedia platform has won over 40 industry awards since its inception on July 4, 2016 (Independence Day). Illustrious recording artists, actors, business executives, politicians, community leaders, members of royalty, dignitaries, and other special guests are invited to offer their own commentary on a given topic, as a supplement to Shefik's engaging mindset. Shefik uses this platform to amplify the voices and acknowledge the thought patterns of people across a variety of ages, ethnicities, occupations, creeds, and belief systems. The content is oftentimes aligned with Shefik's various philanthropic endeavors and alliances with non-profit organizations.

Shefik is a dutiful voice for the voiceless, and a strong advocate for a myriad of causes, such as Domestic Violence Awareness, Human Trafficking Awareness, Mental Health Awareness, Autism Awareness, and Women's Empowerment. Continuously, Shefik strides towards a strong commitment to significant Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, not only in his workplace, but also in his personal endeavors. Shefik has supported and amplified other organizations, such as UNICEF, YWCA, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Miss America Organization, Anna's House Shelter, Citizens Committee to Save Our Children, Munhu, Morgan Marie Michael Foundation, Bella Levy Foundation, and Broadway Sings for Pride.

Earlier in 2024, Shefik was elevated to the rank of Knight, Grand Cross in the Equestrian Order of Michael Archangel (https://royalhonors.org/order-michael-archangel), for his charitable and philanthropic work throughout the years. The Order was blessed by His Holiness Pope Francis and is recognized by heads of state, being subjected to the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan (https://www.royalghassan.org), which is in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Shefik was also previously bestowed the rank of Grand Knight, Grand Cross, in the Royal Order of the Obeng II (https://royalhousemim.org/armsorders_obeng), as well as elevated to the rank of Kofo (Noble Warrior), Grand Cross in the Royal Order of the Golden Fire Dog (https://royalhousemim.org/armsorders_goldenfiredog), both subjected to the Royal House of Sefwi Obeng-Mim (https://royalhousemim.org).

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