TO: YWCA Local Associations
FROM: YWCA USA Communications
DATE: April 22, 2015
SUBJECT: Announcing Our 2015 Women of Distinction
Dear YWCA Leaders,
Today we are so excited to announce the honorees who will be celebrated at the 2015 Women of Distinction Awards Gala! We are proud to acknowledge these incredible women for their work in the areas of Women’s Empowerment, Advocacy and Civic Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility, Media and Journalism, and Racial Justice. Each of these women is a powerful role model and an inspiration to many!
Additionally, we are thrilled to announce Robin Givens as our host for the event again this year! A friend of the YWCA, she has also serves as spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline who recently honored Givens for her over 20 years of work on behalf of women, children and families facing the challenges of domestic violence. She also co-chairs the Women Who Care event.
The 2015 Women of Distinction honorees are:
Advocacy and Civic Engagement: Linda Sarsour
Linda Sarsour is the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and Senior Strategist for Take on Hate, a recently launched campaign which aims to change perceptions of Arab and Muslim Americans. In 2013, she co-founded the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, the first of its kind in New York City. She recently co-founded Muslims for Ferguson to build solidarity amongst civil rights advocates. Sarsour is frequently featured in the media as a spokesperson and advocate for racial justice.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Marilyn Carlson Nelson
Under the leadership of Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Carlson became the first North American-based, global travel and hospitality company to sign the international code of conduct to protect children from sex trafficking in travel and tourism. Carlson includes such brands as The Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inns & Suites and Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Today, Carlson Nelson is co-CEO of Carlson Holdings, Inc. and best-selling author of “How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership.”
Media and Journalism: Melissa Harris-Perry
Melissa Harris-Perry is the Presidential Endowed Chair in Politics and International Affairs at Wake Forest University. She is the Executive Director of the Pro Humanitate Institute and founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Center on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South. She also is the host of Melissa Harris-Perry, which broadcasts live on MSNBC. Harris-Perry is the author of the award-winning “Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought,” and “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.”
Women’s Empowerment: Beverly Bond
In 2006, Beverly Bond founded BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™, a multifaceted movement dedicated to shifting the culture of media images and empowering women and girls. BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ Inc. has been committed to enriching girls through leadership, education, and positive identity development programs since 2006. In 2010, Beverly Bond brought the successful annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards to BET Networks. As the Creator/Executive Producer of BLACK GIRLS ROCK! on BET, Bond shares her vision on a global stage, reaching over 2.7 million viewers per year. Bond has received recognition as a 2013 and 2014 NAACP Image Award winner.
Dorothy I. Height Racial Justice Award: Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon
For more than a half-century Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon has been a major cultural voice for freedom and justice. In 1973, while a graduate student of history at Howard University and vocal director of the DC Black Repertory Theater, she formed the internationally renowned African American women’s a cappela ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock. She led the group until retirement early 2004. Dr. Reagon has also created a broad canon of academic work, two of her major works are: “Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions” and “Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery.”
Please feel free to share our press release with your local media outlets.
Don’t miss out on hearing from each of these exceptional honorees, participating in an impactful Capitol Hill Day, and building capacity in the conference workshops – register for the 2015 Annual Conference and Gala today!
Sincerely,
YWCA USA Communications