The Forrest Church Award for Humanitarian Service is presented annually in memory of late Rev. Dr. Forrest Church to an individual/s who demonstrate similar courage, influence and selfless in the betterment of our world.
This year All Souls Church and the Heart & Soul Charitable Fund will honor the co-founders of the #BlackLivesMatter network, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. In naming them recipient of this prestigious award, All Souls recognizes the great influence that the #...
The Forrest Church Award for Humanitarian Service is presented annually in memory of late Rev. Dr. Forrest Church to an individual/s who demonstrate similar courage, influence and selfless in the betterment of our world.
This year All Souls Church and the Heart & Soul Charitable Fund will honor the co-founders of the #BlackLivesMatter network, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. In naming them recipient of this prestigious award, All Souls recognizes the great influence that the #BlackLivesMatter network has in raising public consciousness of the injustices facing People of Color domestically and internationally.
The network was founded in 2013, in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. It was this injustice that compelled Alicia to write a heartfelt post on Facebook, pleading for people to come together because “Black Lives Matter.” Patrisse turned these words into a Twitter hashtag, and Opal spread the word through social media. The rest was history.
The award ceremony is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:45pm, as seating is limited - we encourage you to arrive as early as possible for a seat. The event will be recorded for those who can't attend.
VIP reception to follow.
Event sponsors include:
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- Heart and Soul Charitable Fund
- Unitarian Universalist-United Nations Office
- New York Theological Seminary
- Union Theological Seminary
- Auburn Theological Seminary
- Middle Collegiate Church
- New Amsterdam Boys and Girls Choir
Prior recipients of the award include:
- Former United States President, Bill Clinton, 2009.
- Former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, 2010.
- The Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, 2011.
- Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of the international health and social justice organization Partners In Health", 2012.
- Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross, 2013.
- Filmmaker Ken Burns, 2014.
- Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, New York Times reporters and Pulitzer Prize winners, 2015