Over 500 people attended the Crossroads Fund Seeds of Change annual benefit at the Chicago Cultural Center on April 12.
Following a silent auction, buffet dinner and music by Chicago Cuatro Orchestra Ensemble; guests moved into the auditorium for the awards presentation. Crossroads Fund Executive Director Jeanne Kracher and Program Director Jane Kimondo welcomed everyone and spoke about the work that Crossroads Fund does for the community.
Crossroads Fund, according to its website, "supports community organizations working on issues of racial, social and economic justice in the Chicago area." The organization funds a number of grassroots groups working for social change on issues such as LGBT rights, women and girls, youth, immigrant rights, worker rights, disability rights, environmental issues, community development and criminal justice causes.
After Kracher and Kimondo's remarks, members of the Crossroads Fund staff presented the awards to each of the recipients. The National Lawyers Guild Chicago Chapter received the Donald F. Erickson Synapses Award for their role in protecting the rights of generations of activists who participate in public protests across the city of Chicago.
The Donald F. Erickson Synapses Award recognizes Erickson - the founder of the Synapses Foundation; a geography, history and social science teacher and a social justice activist who worked to end human rights violations around the globe.
Then the Ron Sable Award for Activism was presented to two organizations - Blocks Together and Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union. Blocks Together - a community organizing group in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood - received the award for their leadership on issues such as restorative justice, school closures and turnaround schools. Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union received the award for their commitment to education for all children, democratic unionism, grassroots and community involvement and a broad social justice platform.
The Ron Sable Award for Activism recognizes Dr. Sable for his work across issues and communities including LGBT rights, women's issues, just treatment of prisoners and national health care. Dr. Sable was one of the first openly gay candidates to run for the Chicago City Council, a founder along with others of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, a co-founder with Dr. Renslow Sherer of the Sable/Sherer AIDS Clinic at Cook County Hospital (now called the Core Center), member of the Crossroads Fund Board of Directors for ten years and volunteer with many organizations in Chicagoland area.
Malcolm London - poet, activist and graduate of Lincoln Park High School - performed a poem he wrote depicting his experiences growing up in Chicago prior to Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union receiving their award.
In accepting her award Lewis spoke about how activism means something. "It means that you don't sit down when you see injustice. It means that you don't turn a blind-eye to issues that are problematic and it means that you do take a stand," said Lewis. Lewis also noted how the Chicago Teachers Union, Blocks Together and the National Lawyers Guild of Chicago are working towards similar goals. Closing out her remarks; Lewis spoke about school closing, the strike last fall, the need for an elected representative school board and her commitment to keep fighting for students and teachers.
See www.crossroadsfund.org, www.nlgchicago.org, www.btchicago.org and www.ctunet.com for more information.
Note: Carrie Maxwell is a also member of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Photo by Carrie Maxwell captions:
1, Malcolm London and Karen Lewis at Crossroads Fund.
2. Tim Jones-Yelvington, Lisa Avila, Jeanne Kracher, Lisa Marie Pickens, Christine Plautz, Jane Kimondo and Emmanuel Garcia. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
3. Chicago Teachers Union members and and Karen Lewis. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
4. Blocks Together members. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
5. Jeanne and Jane. Photo by Carrie Maxwell
6. National Lawyers Guild members, Photo by Carrie Maxwell
