Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism will present its Fourth Annual Racial Justice Awards
on Wednesday, April 1, at Syracuse Stage. The honor is presented annually to celebrate
individuals in Central New York who work vigorously for racial equity.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and will include a dessert reception, an awards ceremony, a
preview performance of "The Diary of Anne Frank" and a panel discussion, "Stand Against
Hate," that will include two members of the Syracuse University community. A limited
number of seats are available; the suggested donation for tickets starts at $25. To inquire about
ticket availability or reserve tickets, contact Maquisha Mullins at 449-3552 ext. 119 or
cwd1@interfaithworkscny.org.
The evening is a fundraiser for Community Wide Dialogue, a program of Interfaith Works of
CNY.
The 2009 Racial Justice Award will be presented to Eva Williams, a school counselor at
Corcoran High School, where she has created the Corcoran-Cazenovia High School Exchange,
initiated and participated in the staff dialogue titled "Helping Every Student Succeed," and
provided academic and developmental counseling to hundreds of students. Williams launched
the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Summer Enrichment Academy, as well
as the youth chapter of Rotary International-Interact and the W.E.B. Dubois National Honor
Society.
The 2009 Racial Justice Lifetime Achievement Award will honor many years of service by
Geneva Hayden, who, upon retiring from a 25-year career as a teacher in Syracuse, launched a
second career as a community activist. She developed CURN, a grassroots community action
organization to respond to the needs of residents of the Midland Avenue, Furman Avenue and
Kennedy Street area. She was also instrumental in the creation of Kwanzaa Park. Her more
recent work includes creation of Light a Candle for Literacy, a year-round program that
supports adult and child literacy and parenting skills throughout Syracuse's South Side, and
she is currently engaged in a parenting program collaboration with P.E.A.C.E. Inc.
After Hayden's and Williams' honors, Syracuse Stage will present a preview performance of
"The Diary of Anne Frank." Moderator George Kilpatrick of WCNY-TV will then lead a panel
discussion on courage in the face of hate. Panelists are:
