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YWCA USA will
celebrate the incredible achievements of extraordinary
leaders who serve as role models for women and girls at the Women
of Distinction Awards
Gala on
June 5, at 6 pm at the Grand Hyatt
Washington, as part of their 2015 Annual Conference.
“The Women of
Distinction Awards
honor remarkable women for their outstanding achievements in
improving the lives of women today and creating a fairer
society for future generations,” said YWCA
USA CEO Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D.
The awards recognize women in the areas of: Advocacy and
Civic Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility, Media and
Journalism, Women’s Empowerment and Racial Justice. This
year’s honorees are: Linda
Sarsour, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Melissa Harris-Perry, and
Beverly Bond.
This year’s Dorothy I. Height Racial Justice Award recipient
is Dr.
Bernice Johnson Reagon. This award is presented to an
individual who has had a national impact in the field of
racial justice in the United States. Honorees are selected
based on criteria that reflect Dr. Height’s contributions:
service in a leadership role, commitment to racial justice
and a high standard of courage, integrity and steadfastness
in support of the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and
empower women.
The Gala will be hosted again this year by television, film
and stage star and advocate Robin
Givens. She
has served as spokesperson for the National Domestic
Violence Hotline and was awarded the Vital Link Award by
that organization for her over 20 years of work on behalf of
women, children and families facing the challenges of
domestic violence. Ms. Givens is also Co-Chair of Women Who
Care.
YWCA USA will
also recognize three local YWCA associations for their
outstanding work in the areas of women’s empowerment, racial
justice, and advocacy. There are more than 220 local YWCA
associations in the United States providing critically
important services and supports in communities large and
small, urban and rural. Richardson-Heron said, “We are
humbled and honored to highlight the excellent work that
YWCAs across the country do everyday to meet the critical
needs of women and their families and create change in their
communities.”
The 2015
YWCA USA 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. BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ builds the
self-esteem and self-worth of young women of color by
changing their outlook on life, broadening their horizons
and providing tools for self-empowerment, leadership and
efficacy. In 2010, Beverly Bond brought the successful
annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards to BET Networks, thus giving
the empowering event a televised platform to highlight
affirming images of women of color. 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.”
About the YWCA
The YWCA is the voice for every woman. For more than 150
years, the YWCA has spoken out and taken action on behalf of
women and girls. The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating
racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice,
freedom and dignity for all. Over 2 million people
participate each year in YWCA programs at more than 1,300
locations across the U.S. For more information, visit ywca.org.
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