A national women’s news service is holding its second-annual awards ceremony to honor local female leaders, and two out lesbians are among the recipients.
Women’s eNews will honor 14 area women’s advocates at its 2010 Philadelphia Leadership Awards ON Oct. 20, including city director of LGBT affairs Gloria Casarez and Mazzoni Center executive director Nurit Shein.
The awards pay tribute to the women and men who demonstrate a dedication to improving the lives of local women and girls, and who encourage that ideal in the individual populations with which they work.
“There are a lot of women who are heads of nonprofits and other organizations who do a lot of great work with women, but we really also try to look for diversity and for areas of action,” said Women’s eNews editor-in-chief Rita Henley Jensen. “So having a woman who works directly for the mayor and then someone who is working on the issue of health among lesbians is something that’s really crucial for so many women and they’ve been able to accomplish so much, so we’re delighted to be able to honor them.”
Last year’s inaugural slate of recipients included the Hon. Ann Butchart and The Attic Youth Center executive director Carrie Jacobs, both out lesbians.
The other recipients this year include Wendy Beetlestone, Alice T. Emerson, JoAnne Fischer, Patricia Giorgio, Nancy G. Klavans, Marjorie Margolies, Dr. Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Vincent Panvini, the Rev. Michelle Anne Simmons, Lorraine S. Webb, Deborah Wei, Melissa Weiler Gerber and M. Patricia West.
“It’s really powerful that a guy who works with a sheet metal workers’ union to promote female candidates [Panvini] and the president of Bryn Mawr College [McAuliffe] and Nurit and Gloria are all in the same room,” Henley Jensen said. “And that’s part of our message: The women’s movement is all over. And the work that needs to be done is being done by these people right here.”
Casarez said she was honored to be counted among such a diverse group of women’s advocates.
“These are basically leaders from all areas, from women’s reproductive health organizations, folks who come from the political world, people like Nurit, and it’s amazing to be recognized alongside this really accomplished group. I’m in really great company,” she said.
Shein agreed that the other honorees are “substantial” and many have been her own personal role models.
She noted that the Leadership Award, while an honor, also carries with it a duty.
“What this really means to me is that there’s a responsibility that comes with being perceived as a role model, and what does being a role model mean, and how will I make use of this exposure to empower other women to be change agents in their own lives and in the lives of other people?” she said.
The Philadelphia Leadership Awards will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. The event will be held in the Thomas Great Hall at Bryn Mawr College, 101 N. Merion Ave. in Bryn Mawr.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.womensenews.org.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].