Gloria Carter

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The Carter family has another reason to be proud. JAY-Z and his mother were honored at the annual Brooklyn Public Library gala for their philanthropic efforts.

The New York Times is reporting that the mogul and his mom were both given a special distinction in their beloved borough.  They were honored for their joint efforts to bring balance to America’s educational system via their Shawn Carter Foundation. On Monday, October 2 the invite only event was held at the main branch of the facility. While Gloria Carter was not in attendance the “Empire State Of Mind” MC was joined by Desiree Perez, senior executive at Roc Nation. Also in the house were other high profile names including Gayle King, Mayor Eric Adams, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, Clara Wu Tsai who co-owns The Brooklyn Nets while Questlove provided the music. JAY-Z was introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer who made multiple references to Hov’s biggest songs.

“As Senate majority leader, I got 99 problems,” joked the politician. “By the way,” Schumer said, “I live across the street and I wake up every morning reading your lyrics,” referring to the rapper’s lyrics that brand the outside of the library. Wearing a black tuxedo JAY-Z took the stage and made it clear he was humbled by the “Book Of Hov” exhibit. “I thought maybe it was like a small room, and it was more than what I deserved,” he explained. “I walked in, and I saw this incredible display. And my [grandmother] Hattie White got to see it,” he added. “She just turned 98 years old, and she’s seen a lot of things. That experience was just overwhelming”.
According to the website the Shawn Carter Foundation provides “college scholarships for young people who have talent and drive but due to mitigating circumstances their grade point averages fall below the minimum to qualify for support at other foundations and institutions.”