DETROIT – Local 4's Rhonda Walker has been honored by the Detroit branch of the NAACP with the Great Expectation Award.
Of Walker, the NAACP says: "Through her Rhonda Walker Foundation, she has developed mentors and provided inspiration and scholarships for many young women throughout this community. She is a positive force – both on the camera and after she leaves the network. She's always available to work with young people."
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Award winners will be special guests at the 57th annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner on May 6.
The branch is celebrating 100 years and is honoring a slew of others, including:
The James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient is the Rev. Dr. Julius C. Hope, Pastor of the New Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Highland Park and Director of the National Religious Affairs Department of the NAACP. For over 50 years, Dr. Hope has been building bridges, working with faith-based organizations of every denomination and a leader in the civil rights/religious network communities.
A second great Expectation Award recipient is Attorney Nabih Ayad, Founder of the Arab American Civil Rights League, former Commissioner of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and a most prominent civil rights/social justice attorney. Attorney Ayad has distinguished himself by championing the cause of many who do not have a voice – other than the one he articulates in the court of justice.
The branch will present the Mary White Ovington Freedom and Justice Award Recipient Ms. Maureen Taylor, President of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization. Ms. Taylor is well-known throughout our state – as a champion for the least of these. She has been a tremendous advocate for children, for justice, for families receiving public assistance and for jobs and education throughout our community.
We have reached beyond our state borders and will present the Ida B. Wells Barnett Freedom and Justice Award for the national work and advocacy of MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. Rachel Maddow has been a unique voice in using the national news media to advocate for justice from Michigan to Mississippi, and from New York to California. Most recently, she has led the charge on justice for Michigan and voicing the need to maintain democracy as it appears to be under attack in our state.