FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/24/2014
Women to be Honored for Efforts to End Gender Inequity and to Promote Civil Rights
SEATTLE – Councilmember Jean Godden and the Seattle Women’s Commission have partnered, for the first time, to honor outstanding women and organizations in our community working to end women’s economic inequality and to champion Civil Rights.
This evening, the Jeanette Williams Award will be presented to Tammy Nguyen, for her work on the Women in the Green Economy program at the Got Green organization; to the YWCA, for its Economic Resilience Initiative; and to Laura Culberg, owner of SweatBox Yoga for strong workplace equity policies.
“I am proud to honor these exceptional women and organizations, which work every day to do all they can to foster the success of women and families in Seattle,” said Councilmember Jean Godden, Chair of the Parks, Libraries and Gender Pay Equity Committee. “They are our City’s greatest hope of creating a culture where all our residents have an opportunity succeed and thrive.”
The Jeanette Williams Award was established in 2003 to honor individuals who demonstrate significant leadership and service in advancing the cause of women in Seattle. This year, the award is exclusively focused on honoring those making strides to end women’s economic inequality.
Since the 2013 report stating that Seattle has one of the widest wage gaps in the nation, Councilmember Godden and the Women’s Commission have worked to establish programs and policies to reach pay parity between men and women in the City of Seattle.
“All the honorees being recognized this evening are fantastic examples of Jeanette Williams’ legacy of service and leadership. Their commitment to women’s and civil rights in our community should be celebrated. We appreciate their dedication and leadership here in Seattle and are grateful to Councilmember Jean Godden for her support of this event,” said representatives of the Seattle Women’s Commission.
The Civil Rights Awards will be given to Estela Ortega for her long history of community organizing and work with El Centro de la Raza, and to Nicole Vallestero Keenan for her community leadership with Puget Sound Sage.
“Estela has worked tirelessly in helping our community for more than 40 years and Nicole’s work and advocacy for low-wage workers during the minimum wage legislation was tremendous,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell regarding the Civil Rights Award.
The awards will be presented tonight, Wednesday, September 24, at a celebration in the Bertha Knight Landes Room in Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Avenue at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
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