Johnny Gill to Headline Chicago Urban League's 65th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner; Peggy Montes and Larry Huggins Named 2026 Honorees


Johnny Gill to Headline Chicago Urban League's 65th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner; Peggy Montes and Larry Huggins Named 2026 Honorees


Nov. 7th Fundraising Gala at McCormick Place marks the League's 110th year, under the theme "Our Voices. Our Democracy. Our Future."


The Chicago Urban League has announced that Grammy Award-nominated, multi- platinum R&B singer Johnny Gill will headline its 65th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner (GFD) on Saturday, November 7, 2026, in the Skyline Ballroom at McCormick Place. The League also announced its 2026 honorees: museum founder and civic leader Peggy Montes, who will receive the Edwin C. “Bill” Berry Award, and businessman and philanthropist Larry Huggins, who will receive the Lester McKeever Individual Service Award. Comedian Damon Williams will host the event.

The Golden Fellowship Dinner is the Chicago Urban League's signature fundraising gala and one of the most anticipated events of Chicago's gala season. This year's dinner coincides with the League's 110th anniversary. The 2026 theme, "Our Voices. Our Democracy. Our Future.," recognizes the power of civic engagement, collective action and community leadership, and celebrates the role Black communities have long played in advancing democracy.

"For 110 years, the Chicago Urban League has stood with Black Chicagoans in the fight for opportunity, and this year's Golden Fellowship Dinner celebrates the voices that have carried that work forward," said Karen Freeman-Wilson, President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. "Peggy Montes and Larry Huggins have spent their lives building institutions and opportunities on the South Side, and we are proud to honor them on a night that Johnny Gill will help make unforgettable."

Headline Entertainment: Johnny Gill

Johnny Gill is an award-winning singer/songwriter/producer/humanitarian, whose powerful baritone has helped define R&B for four decades. He has won three Soul Train Music Awards and has been twice nominated for a Grammy Award. A longtime member of the legendary group New Edition and one of the founding members of the supergroup LSG with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill is also known for solo hits including "My, My, My" and "Rub You the Right Way." He will perform during the dinner program.

2026 Honorees

Peggy Montes — Bill Berry Award

Peggy Montes is the founder and president of the Bronzeville Children's Museum, which she opened in 1998 as the first African American children's museum in the United States. A retired Chicago Public Schools teacher, Montes created the museum to give young children an interactive, hands-on way to learn about African American history and culture. She is chairwoman emerita of the DuSable Museum of African American History and helped institutionalize the celebration of Women's History Month in Chicago through her work with Mayor Harold Washington's Advisory Commission on Women's Affairs. For decades she has been a tireless advocate for women, children and the cultural life of Black Chicago.

Larry Huggins — Lester McKeever Individual Service Award

Larry Huggins is the founder, president and CEO of Riteway-Huggins Construction Services, a minority-owned general contractor headquartered on Chicago's South Side. Huggins started the business in 1975 as a painting and decorating contractor and grew it into a firm that has helped build some of the region's most significant projects, including work at O'Hare International Airport and the McCormick Place expansion. Raised in Englewood, Huggins has never forgotten his roots: he founded Christmas in the Wards, which began as Christmas in Englewood, and co-founded the Chicago Football Classic Scholarship Fund, which has helped send young Chicagoans to college.

2026 Corporate Co-Chairs

The 65th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner is co-chaired by Brett J. Hart, President of United Airlines, and Louis Carr, founder of WayMaker Media. United Airlines and WayMaker serve as this year's corporate co-chairs.

Sponsors

The Golden Fellowship Dinner is made possible by corporate, foundation and community partners whose support funds the League's workforce development, entrepreneurship, housing, education and policy work. Along with United Airlines and WayMaker Media, this year’s top sponsors include Northern Trust, ITW, Abbott, McDonald’s, Riley Safer Holmes and Cancila LLP, and iHeart Media Chicago.

Sponsorship opportunities remain available at the Legacy ($100,000), Leadership ($75,000), Innovation ($50,000), Empowerment ($35,000), Policy ($17,500) and Advocacy ($12,500) levels, along with exclusive sponsorships of the Champagne Reception, Red Carpet, Photo Booth, Attendee Gift and After Party. Sponsorship information is available at chiul.org.

Tickets and Event Details

•             Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026

•             Location: McCormick Place, Skyline Ballroom, Chicago

•             6:00 p.m. — Champagne Reception

•             7:00 p.m. — Golden Fellowship Dinner, awards program, performance by Johnny Gill and live paddle raise

•             10:00 p.m. – midnight — After Party

Individual tickets are $750 and include the reception, dinner, program, entertainment and After Party. Tickets, tables and sponsorships are available at givebutter.com/GFD2026. For questions about tickets, tables or seating, contact the League's Development team at development@chiul.org or 773.285.5800.

Last year's 64th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner drew more than 2,000 business, civic and community leaders to McCormick Place. Proceeds from the gala support the League's programs serving more than 15,000 Chicagoans each year.

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