Ms. Foundation for Women - 2011 Gloria Awards - A Letter from Anika Rahman

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2011 Gloria Awards - A Letter from Anika Rahman

Dear Friends,

I am honored to welcome you to the 23rd annual Gloria Awards: A Salute to Women of Vision. From my very first days in February as the Ms. Foundation’s new president and CEO, I have eagerly awaited this evening. The Gloria Awards so movingly illustrate the value of our work as we provide essential support, leadership development and capacity building, and communications resources to 150 organizations around the country each year.

I have also eagerly awaited a public opportunity to celebrate a woman who continues to inspire so many to stand for, and with, women: Gloria Steinem. As so many of you know, Gloria is extraordinary. Words alone cannot do justice to describe her leadership. However, I know that the grantees of the Ms. Foundation, who highlight the amazing work of women across the country, are a testament to her tremendous impact. As you will see tonight, our grantees are exemplars of women who have the vision, commitment, and drive to ignite change nationwide.

Whether fighting for comprehensive sex education in Texas, defeating attacks on immigrants in Kentucky, or speaking out against violence in Massachusetts, these fearless women are leading the way forward, against the current and ahead of the curve.

Tonight, we proudly honor the following Women of Vision, selected from among our trailblazing grantees:

Kathy Miller is the president of the Texas Freedom Network in Austin, Texas, an organization that was founded to monitor far-right policies and advance progressive change in response. Under Kathy’s leadership, TFN has made critical progress in the struggle to bring comprehensive sexual health education to one of the most conservative states in the nation.

Attica Woodson Scott is the coordinator of Kentucky Jobs with Justice in Louisville, Kentucky. With Attica at the helm, KY JwJ has evolved into a broad-based coalition of community groups, faith-based organizations and labor unions united to promote, protect and improve the quality of life for all workers. Earlier this year, KY JwJ played a key role in defeating a draconian anti-immigrant bill in the state legislature.

Priscilla Rorie is receiving the Marie C. Wilson Young Woman’s Leadership Award for her work as a youth coordinator with Close to Home in Dorchester, Massachusetts. At CTH, Priscilla used writing as a tool to inspire dozens of youth to speak out, share their stories, and break the vicious cycle of silence and shame that perpetuates domestic, sexual and community violence.

This evening, we also very proudly honor an exceptional donor activist whose philanthropy helps make the work of our grantees possible and provides crucial support for social justice advocacy worldwide: Loreen Arbus, recipient of the Woman of Vision and Action Award, is the president of the Loreen Arbus Foundation, based in Los Angeles. The first woman in the US to head up programming for a national television network, we recognize Loreen for her unstinting advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities and her tremendous philanthropy in support of women, people of color, medical research, the arts and global peace.

Please join me in celebrating the stunning accomplishments of these extraordinary women.

There are so many who have helped make this evening a great success. In particular, on behalf of the Ms. Foundation for Women’s Board of Directors and staff, I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Lauren Embrey, our gala chair, and also to our devoted honorary chairs: Anne Delaney, Katherine Grover, Bonnie Schaefer and Marla Schaefer. We are exceedingly grateful for their support.

I would like to offer a special thank you to each of you for being here tonight and for warmly welcoming me into the storied Ms. Foundation family. I am honored to stand on the many shoulders of those who created our Foundation and have had significant and far-reaching impact over the last 38 years. Most importantly, thank you for your continued support. Your generous and enthusiastic commitment both makes this evening special and makes it possible for us to do our work. I look forward to building towards the future and to seeing each of you again soon.

My very best,

Anika Rahman
President & CEO

23rd Annual Gloria Awards a Great Success!

The "gala was a tremendous success," says Anika Rahman, Ms. Foundation president and CEO. "We celebrated Women of Vision who -- whether advocating for the rights and well-being of women, workers, immigrants or youth -- are tackling the most urgent issues of our time." Play the slide show below or see larger images.

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2008 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee Yunuen Rodriguez is an advocate for media justice, violence prevention and culture change that respects women and girls. She successfully led negotiations with a Chicago radio station to drop a sexually exploitative ad campaign and testified before the Federal Communications Commission... Learn more and view video

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Ms. Foundation for Women, 12 MetroTech Center, 26th Fl, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Telephone:(212) 742-2300|Fax: (212) 742-1653|Email: info@ms.foundation.org