In observance of Women’s History Month, the Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues presented its 12th Annual Unsung Heroines Awards at a breakfast ceremony in the Chicago Cultural Center. Each year Cook County Board President Todd Stroger an
In observance of Women’s History Month, the Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues presented its 12th Annual Unsung Heroines Awards at a breakfast ceremony in the Chicago Cultural Center. Each year, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and the Commission honor one woman in each of the 17 county districts for her vital contributions to her community. Particular emphasis is on women who have not received widespread recognition as a way to bring their stories to light, to thank them and to celebrate their achievements in Cook County.
This year’s honorees are Mary Lindsey-Carroll, ShaVonda L. Fields, Kimberly Ann Echols, Henrietta Leak, Pamela White, Jacki Rivera, Madeline Tovar, Magdalena Martinez, Jacqueline K. Mathews, Cynthia Fox, Sister Susan Sanders, Sarah Ludden, Mary Adair, Kristin Freeman, Julie Villarreal, Jo- Ann D’Altorio and Helen Jung.
The Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues was created in 1995 to advise the president and county board on ways to elevate the status of local women, improve the delivery of services to women and their families, and eliminate inequities in laws, practices and conditions that impact Cook County women.
Congrats – to Deborah Harrington, Woods Foundation president, and Rebecca Sive, public affairs consultant and strategist. They’re the very first recipients of the Civic Engagement, Community Service and Community Organizing Award presented by the Gender and Women’s Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This inaugural honor recognizes UIC alumnae who have improved the lives of women and the community at-large through their activism and leadership.
“As philanthropists, civic leaders and outspoken advocates of social justice, both are role models for women and girls who want to make an impact on their communities and, more ambitiously, change the world,” said Barbara Ransby, UIC associate professor of African American Studies and History and director of Gender and Women’s Studies. Harrington has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UIC; Sive, a master’s in history.
NABJ Forum – In light of the New York Post’s recent tasteless and offensive cartoon depicting President Barack Obama as a murdered chimpanzee in a pool of blood, the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists will host a forum, Editorial Cartooning in the Age of Obama and a Color-Blind Society, at its meeting tonight, 5:30 p.m., at NBC Towers, 454 N. Columbus Drive. Political columnist Monroe Anderson moderates a panel consisting of Tim Jackson (Defender), Tom McNamee (Sun-Times), Charles Boyce (Tribune) and Dr. Yaounde Olu (Crusader). The NABJ Chicago forum will explore the issue of creative license in news content versus matters of race and sensitivity in an Obama era. You ought to be there!
Hats Off – to Dr. and Mrs. William Johnson (Bathsheba) of the Luck Care Center, who received Local Hero Awards from the Power of Oneness Spiritual Center “for their efforts in providing comprehensive, holistic and compassionate service to HIV-positive clients on Chicago’s South Side.” LCC serves over 200 HIV and AIDS positive persons annually, with most of them being uninsured or underinsured. The award was presented at a Sunday service at Power of Oneness at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club.
It was given as part of the Season for Nonviolence, a 64-day campaign (Jan. 30-April 4) where media, educational and community events highlight individuals and organizations that choose non-violence as a way of life. April 4 marks the 61st and 41st Memorial Anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., respectively.
______
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.