News

Despite many gains – justice continues to elude us. The dream of a peaceful, just and sustainable world is challenged daily by headlines proclaiming the latest inequities and current suffering that still cry out for remedy. Today, we recognize that the gains of the civil rights era have brought us over one mountain, only to be confronted with another. Jim Crow has been replaced by mass-incarceration, bias of various kinds still leads to violence, and the right to vote is once again becoming more difficult for many to access.

But, we must not lose hope. The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s core belief in the power of an ordinary individual to take action on behalf of others provides a template for the hero citizen who takes these problems on locally and nationally. On November 18, at the 7^th Annual Hidden Heroes Award Ceremony, we are curating a panel of people who work to understand and address these inequities. We are recognizing each of them with a “Social Justice Advocate Award,” and Amy Goodman, Host of Democracy Now!, will be asking them the hard questions that need to be addressed if we are going to continue to step forward for democracy and justice.

The topic: “Over-incarceration and Disenfranchisement in America” will be explored by our panel which will include Peniel Joseph, Professor of History, Tufts University; Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO, Voto Latino; Soledad O’Brien, Founder and CEO, Starfish Media Group; Yusef Salaam, of the Central Park Five; and Michael Skolnik, President, Global Grind. These hero citizens have spent their professional careers taking action against injustice. On November 18, they will share their wisdom and vision with us all. We hope you will join us.