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YWCA Announces 2021 Milestones Honorees
By Fletcher Word
Sojourner’s Truth Editor
“These ladies have not
slowed down in spite of the pandemic,” said Lisa McDuffie,
CEO of the TWCA of Northwest Ohio as she announced the YWCA
26th Annual “Milestones: A Tribute to Women” 2021
seven honorees. “They have continued to persevere in
different disciplines,” she added.
This year’s honorees are:
Suzanne Rorick, executive director of the Toledo Opera, for
the Arts; Michele Knox, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the
University of Toledo College of Medicine, for Science; Linda
Mansour, attorney at Law, for Business; Judge Nicole Khoury
of Toledo Municipal Court and executive director of Project
iAm, for Government; Susan Carter, social worker with the
AIDS Rescue Team at UT Medical Center, for Volunteerism;
Shantae Brownlee, vice president and director of Community
Engagement with the Lucas County Land Bank, for Social
Services and Clara Petty, executive director of the Monroe
Street Neighborhood Center, for Education.
During a virtual press
conference on Wednesday, January 6, McDuffie introduced the
honorees, who all had an opportunity to Speak about their
excitement at receiving the honor and to praise the local
YWCA for its long commitment to fighting for social justice
and eliminating racism and sexism. Social justice was the
theme of the day, even for those honorees in categories not
typically associated with …
In this time of turmoil
due to pandemic and economic difficulties and the spotlight
on racial strife and injustice, particularly striking were
the remarks of Rorick and Mansour.
Rorick, as director of the
Toledo Opera, has been instrumental in recent years in
introducing audiences to noteworthy operas dealing with
racial matters and utilizing the services of black artists,
such as the legendary Porgy and Bess and new works
such as I Dream, the story of the last days in the
life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr which premiered here in
Toledo two years ago and the upcoming Blue, an opera
about current racial issues, which will be on the schedule
as soon as Toledo Opera re-opens.
Mansour has long been an
advocate for the underdog, both locally and internationally.
She battled fought back tears as she explained how overcome
she was given the YWCA’s commitment to social justice.
“What the Y
stands for, battling racism and sexism for the children of
the world, has been a lifetime battle for me,” she said. “I
stand on the shoulders of many, many women before me.”
“I am very proud, especially because of the YWCA and its
battle of fighting racism,” said Rorick.
Brownlee sounded a similar theme as she spoke about her
feelings “Coming off the year we have had, my job is always
done with purpose.” She noted that the award will be an
inspiration to her moving forward.
Carter also gave praise to the YWCA for its battle for
social justice and commitment to “fighting racism and
fighting sexism.”
This year’s Milestones Luncheon will take place virtually on
Friday, March 26 at 11:30 a.m. Individual tickets are $30
and a table for 10 is $275. All proceeds from the event will
benefit over 23,000 women and families who use the social
service programs of the YWCA. For more information, contact
the Y at 419-241-3235, ext 139.
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Suzanne Rorick
Michele Knox, PhD
Linda Mansour
Judge Nicole Khoury
Clara Petty
Shantae Brownlee
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