[tps_header]We are proud to announce the honorees for our 2nd Annual BMWK Standard Awards. The “Standards” are presented to couples in the African American community who set a positive example of black love and marriage.
With so much focus on the negative in our community, we wanted to shine a spotlight on these 11 influential couples, who encourage us to love better and strive for greater in our marriages.
Our 2016 honorees were handpicked for how they set a public standard for what healthy, positive and supportive relationships look like. These couples were honored within three categories: Celebrity Couples, Couples in Business and Couples in Ministry. These couples not only exemplify a model image of black marriage but they also actively impart positive guidance and messages on love through their various reaches.
Along with recognition here on BMWK, each honoree will receive an award that physically represents our appreciation, support and encouragement as a way of saying thank you.
Please join us as we salute the 2016 BMWK Standard Award honorees and do your part in promoting positive examples of marriage in the African American community by sharing this list.
2016 BMWK Standard Awards Honorees
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Erica and Warryn Campbell — Celebrity Honorees
Length of marriage: 14 years; May 26, 2001
Number of children: 3
How you support each other in your careers: We love supporting each other because we believe in each other’s gifts and talents and dreams. At the core of our relationship is love and trust. So anytime we get overwhelmed with work, we don’t make the work the enemy. We always push each other to be our best, [and] sometimes pushing can feel like your spouse is just being pushy. However, when you get your ego out of the way, you can see the advice or suggestions are rooted in love. The foundation of your relationship is key. Trust, communication and love will allow you to enjoy your career and your marriage.
Why they were chosen: The Campbells have been extremely transparent, regarding their real marital issues on their WE tv reality show Mary Mary. Gospel singer Erica Campbell and her husband, music producer Warryn Campbell, show us that even though challenges may arise in our marriages, any obstacle can be achieved together by keeping God involved.
Drs. Victor and Sherry Blake — Business Honorees
Length of marriage: 15 Years; September 8, 2000
Number of children: 5
How you support each other in your careers: We communicate about what we do and support each other in terms of time and resources. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
Why they were chosen: As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Sherry Blake has dished out sage relationship expertise on various television programs and magazines. Her husband Dr. Victor Blake, a general internist, professor and theologian, uses his multidisciplinary skills to serve the Atlanta community. Together the couple preaches the importance of mental, emotional and physical health.
Holly Robinson and Rodney Peete — Celebrity Honorees
Length of marriage: 21 years, June 10, 1995
Number of children: 4
How you support each other in your careers: As married, working parents, we have to stay on the same page. When we drift off that page, [it takes] communicating to get back on it. One of the things that has helped us was having board meetings—State of the Union, State of the Marriage-like retreats, where we sit and we focus on what it is each other is missing, where are we and what our needs are. And you have to do that at least quarterly or you almost lose yourself. You almost have to run a marriage like a business, like a corporation, like a boardroom. And I think that’s very important.
Why they were chosen: Actress Holly Robinson Peete and husband former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete give us a peak into their personal lives on their new Own network reality show For Peete’s Sake. But prior to that, the Peetes were already black America’s perennial favorite couple. They show that morals, sincerity and class can exist within a relationship no matter your zip code or tax bracket.
Junious McLean, Jr. and Joyce Auld — Ministry Honorees
Length of marriage: 14 years; April 7, 2001
Number of children: 5
How you support each other in your careers. We support each other in our individual careers by being committed to setting aside “our” time together when our workday is over; working hard so that we can play harder [and] starting each day with prayer and being intentional about helping and supporting everyone we come in contact with. [Additionally, we] strive to maintain a positive outlook in our careers and to be available for words of encouragement throughout the day when things get hectic or crazy.
Why they were chosen: Author Joyce Auld and her husband Junious McLean, Jr. make it a joint mission to help strengthen the bonds of other couples through their marriage ministries. McLean, who brings three kids into the relationship, and Auld, who brings two kids into the marriage, also champion the blended family, showing the world harmony and love can exist without conflict.
Marshawn Evans and Jack Daniels — Business Honorees
Length of marriage: 1 year; August 30, 2014
Number of children: 0
How you support each other in your careers: Marshawn and I live to serve God and others. Knowing what we do and don’t do well plays a pivotal role in the success of our business and marriage. We celebrate each other’s areas of strength and don’t allow our egos to get in the way of the ultimate goal of getting the job done. [And] because we deal with teaching, training and pouring into other people so much, it’s important that we continuously pour into each other. Pausing, Praying and Pouring into each other are daily routines we exercise to keep the love alive.
Why they were chosen: Individually the two were already power players in business. But then Jack Daniels, a psychotherapist, author and speaker, married Marshawn Evans Daniels, a life coach, attorney, author and former Apprentice contestant. And now the couple, though only married a year and a half, are showing the world how to have success in both the boardroom and household.
Drs. Heavenly and Damon Kimes — Celebrity Honorees
Length of marriage: 18; August 16, 1997
Number of children: 3
How you support each other in your careers: Well my husband is the family man. And he keeps me grounded. If I’m doing too much, doing whatever. We work it out, communication is the main thing and just respecting one another.
Why they were chosen: Dr. Heavenly Kimes, dentist, author and star of Bravo’s Married to the Medicine, and Dr. Damon Kimes, an emergency room surgeon, are the prime example of a career couple who have mastered the work life balance. The busy doctors and reality TV stars show us through their engagement online, on the show and out in their community how to put family first in their lives.
Ayize and Aiyana Ma’at — Business Honorees
Length of marriage: 13 years; May 27, 2002
Number of children: 5 (including a newborn)
How you support each other in your careers: We are each other’s No. 1 cheerleader. We provide emotional support to one another by encouraging each other when we confront challenges and celebrating each other when we experience success. We keep the lines of communication open and create a safe space for each other to laugh, cry, scream, have fun and be our most authentic selves in our business and in our lives.
Why they were chosen: Ayize and Aiyana Ma’at, who are both clinical social workers and marriage therapists, went into business together with the goals of improving black marriages and helping individuals achieve their goals. The two, who were also high school sweethearts, show us how couples can work together, love together and live together—and endure.
Jamal and Natasha Miller — Ministry Honorees
Length of marriage: 2 Years; July, 27 2013
Number of children: 1
How you support each other in your careers: We encourage one another in our careers by valuing one another’s role and contribution to the overall vision we have for our lives and businesses. This past year was a major year for us as my wife came home full-time to raise our daughter, and I shifted to part-time in order to put more time and investment into our online business. This transition required us to work together in other ways that involved many “Come to Jesus Talks,” where we hear each other out in regards to how we’re feeling about life at that current moment. It’s been an amazing journey supporting one another in our various passions and responsibilities.
Why they were chosen: As the founders of marriedandyoung.com, Jamal and Natasha Miller use their faith to spread Christian-based messages of love for both young singles, looking to find love, and young married couples. They show us a mature romance isn’t tied to an age group.
Che “Rhymefest” and Donnie Smith — Celebrity Honorees
Length of marriage: 6 years; February 24, 2010
Number of children: Total of 3 with more planned in the future.
How you support each other in your careers: We support each other in our careers by constantly reminding ourselves that when we got married we “tied the knot.” That means that no matter how tight the world, circumstances, etc. may pull, our knot will only get tighter. Additionally, while we are madly in love, we understand that God sent us here for a special assignment, and it is our job to constantly remind each other of that reality…We truly desire to make each other better human beings and that trickles down to every area of our life.
Why they were chosen: Rapper Che “Rhymefest” Smith, the Grammy-Award winning artist and writer (best known for his writing contribution to Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks”) and blogger and non-profit executive director Donnie Smith are modern day inspirations. The two show us honest and personal accounts of how couples can stayed grounded and support each other’s growths despite the outside pressures.
Carlos and Katherine Greene — Ministry Honorees
Length of marriage: 24; June, 29 1991
Number of children: 2
How you support each other in your careers. We are each other’s biggest cheerleader personally and professionally. There are six core areas that ground us as a couple: Faith, Family, Finance Future, Fitness and Fun. When we focus on Future, it includes our careers and the goals we want to accomplish. We consistently meet every month and dialogue about the progress we are making in our careers and hold each other accountable for the goals we have set.
Why they were chosen: Carlos and Katherine Greene have a true passion to heal and strengthen couples. Utilizing their ministry, the couple spreads genuine, heartfelt messages of love and prayer in their community. Carlos and Katherine Greene, who are our personal mentors, are always ready to help, counsel or spark a conversation with couples in need.
Rufus and Jenny Triplett — Business Honorees
Length of marriage: 26 years; October 27, 1989
Number of children: 3 boys
How you support each other in your careers. We work long, crazy hours, and it’s important for both of us to know that where one is weak, the other is strong. We pick up the slack from wearing many hats. Being in business is hard. Being married is hard. Staying married and in love is even harder. Every day, we try to make sure we are on the same page and let God handle the rest.
Why they were chosen: The Tripletts have an incredible background and history, which they credit for their strong bond. Rufus Triplett, Jr. co-wrote and produced for the 80s musical act Ready for the World, and Jenny Triplett also had her hand in the industry as an owner of an entertainment company. As best-selling authors, the couple is sparking the much-needed conversation about marriage and providing tips needed to survive the foundation and institution of the family. The Tripletts are inspiring other marriages through their various ministries and website, RufusandJennyTriplett.com.