Mom and Austin resident Latricia Walker-West ran around the Kehrein Center for the Arts, making sure the vendors, the sound system, and her 8-year-old co-host for the Chicago Youth Awards were all set. By the time parents arrived with their children, dressed in their finery, the red carpet was laid out for their entrance. Photographers snapped photos with bubbles and balloons in the background, and talent stayed focused on running through their routines.
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In its third year, the Chicago Youth Awards are the brainchild of Walker-West, who likens the event to one that would be hosted on Black Entertainment Television (BET). Youth from Pre-K through high school are nominated in categories like entrepreneur, scholar, athlete, dad/mom of the year. The youth showed off their dance moves and singing prowess to cheers from families and friends in the audience between announcements of winners chosen by committee.
“It’s about celebrating youth across Chicagoland that are doing phenomenal things in the community,” Walker-West said. “We have categories celebrating kids for dancing, singing, being scholars, athletes, humanitarians. There’s award events for adults, but we don’t have anything for kids. I wanted to make sure kids had that experience too.”
Walker-West, an outreach worker for the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, is the CEO of non-profit Final Explosion Entertainment. She started the endeavor in 2009 to ensure West Side children, including her own, had positive activities to engage in. Talent shows, dance competitions, and Final Explosion has hosted a number of activities through the years, including a dance team that traveled across the U.S. and space for music production (seen on their YouTube channel).
The Youth Awards, held in July, are one of two annual events Walker-West’s nonprofit conducts; the other is helping the homeless during the holiday months. Walker-West wants to expand the awards to reach more youth, collaborators, and funders.
Emory Mackey (aka Emmy Extra) was 2025’s junior youth entertainer of the year; this year, the third-grade Walt Disney Magnet School student took home the title of “Youth Crowd Rocker” (a person who hypes up the crowd).
“I rap, I dance too…I would try to make some jokes, but I can’t make anybody laugh,” Mackey said.
Mackey’s mom, TKeeyah Stewart, helped Mackey select colorful outfits to wear on stage. Mackey’s enthusiasm was palpable during her performance, as she read most of the winner’s names during the festivities.
Mackey shared how she chose her stage name: “I wanted a name close to my real name because I like when people call me my real name, but I wanted a nickname, an artist name. So I picked Emmy. And people always tell me I do too much, and I’m always playing around and that’s why I said Extra,” she said.
Colin Williams, 16, brought home the trophy for the Humanitarian Award. The University of Chicago Laboratory School junior is a caddie, DJ, fencer, boxer, and part of a school group that promotes and celebrates Black culture. He’s looking forward to putting the accomplishment on his college application.
“I want to study economics and finance,” Williams said. “I want to be an asset manager. I want to be able to teach Black youth about their money–how to save, how to invest.”
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As for the new honor, Williams said it’s a stepping stone.
“It’s not going to be the biggest thing I do because this is what I plan to keep doing on a bigger stage in life,” he said.