The Fannie Lou Hamer Awards Reception will honor 25 trailblazing women from Anne Arundel County on Sunday at an event in Annapolis.
“Known for impacting their community — whether through social justice or advocacy — each woman has made a lasting mark on Anne Arundel County,” says a news release announcing the reception.
This year’s honorees — Phyllis “Tee” Adams, Angelia Brown, Monique Brown, Lynda Davis, Claudia DeGrate, Mary Grace Gallagher, Glenda Gathers, Erica Griswold, De Lorma “Dee” Goodwyn, Denise Henderson Hector, Laticia Hicks, Del. Dana Jones, Gabrielle Martinez, Heidi May, Dr. Tawana R. Offer, Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien, The Honorable Dana Z. Schallheim, Mitchelle Stephenson, Alderwoman Eleanor Tierney, Dr. Joanna Tobin, Darla Watts, Jacqueline V. Wells, Marion “Murnie” Wenn, Ethel Leon Wirth, and Jane Zanger — join the ranks of more than 100 notable women, including former U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Administrative Law Judge Tracey Warren Parker, and former Annapolis mayor Ellen Moyer, who were nominated in years past.
The event is named for Fannie Lou Hamer, who was an American voting rights activist, civil rights leader and philanthropist.
Hamer was the youngest of 20 children born to Mississippi sharecropper parents. She was instrumental in organizing Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Hamer worked on other projects, including grassroots-level Head Start programs, the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, Mississippi, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign.
Hamer died at the age of 57. Her tombstone is engraved with one of her famous quotes, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Sunday’s program will feature a one-woman performance of “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story,” written and performed by Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye, award-winning playwright, actor, and internationally acclaimed vocalist. A reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres will follow the program.
“The Fannie Lou Hamer Story” received Best Actor, Best Play, and Best Producer honors during the 2015 Atlanta Black Theater Festival, and the Best Solo Performance for the 2002 Audelco Viv Award. Hamer’s courage and compassion inspired Aimbaye to write the one-woman play, which follows Hamer’s rise from Jim Crow Mississippi to the halls of Congress as a powerful voice in the 1964 voter’s rights movement.
In its 27th year, the event runs from 4-6 p.m. at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis. The event is sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Anne Arundel County.
“We congratulate all of the recipients of the Fannie Lou Hamer Awards, whose commitment to social justice is seen in the work that they do daily,” said Carl Snowden, chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. “These women run the gamut. They are legislators, activists, and they are committed to making America better and not bitter.”
To purchase tickets, which cost $50, go to MLKJrMD.org. More details at 443-871-5656 or 301-538-6353.
Here is a summary of the accomplishments of the winners, according to the news release.
Phyllis “Tee” Adams, of Annapolis, assisted in organizing the first Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Annapolis and, most recently, was the founder of the successful Annapolis Juneteenth Gala, Parade, and Festival. Inspired by the trials and untimely death of her son, Adams started the business Light It Up with Triple A.
Angelina Brown, of Severn, worked as a union representative for the Industrial, Technical, and Professional Employees Division of the National Maritime Union in Washington, D.C. Brown later became the owner and operator of the Reliable Taxi Cab Company in Annapolis. She enjoys working with community seniors and helps deliver food to them from local food banks. She also mentors young single mothers in the community.
Monique Brown, of Severn, served as a facilitator with the Girls Who Code program, where she taught computer programming and software development after school at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. She works with several other organizations in Anne Arundel County, including Happy Helpers for the Homeless, a nonprofit that provides homeless and poverty-stricken families with food, toiletries, and clothing.
Lynda Davis, of Linthicum, is an activist involved in anti-racism, anti-oppression, and human rights work since 2014. She is a member of the Anne Arundel County Branch of the NAACP, Anne Arundel County Coalition for Police Accountability, Caucus of African American Leaders, Community Actively Seeking Transparency, Coming to the Table, Connecting the Dots, Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society, and Showing Up for Racial Justice Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.
Claudia DeGrate, of Annapolis, was one of the founding members of Ujima, a student organization that brought a racial employment discrimination complaint against Anne Arundel Community College, which ultimately led to the hiring of more African American faculty members. DeGrate also volunteers to work with senior citizens in the Annapolis area.
Mary Grace Gallagher, of Annapolis, has worked for three decades to tell the stories of people in the Annapolis community. Gallagher has written numerous award-winning local, daily newspaper and magazine features, and writes an occasional column in The Capital focused on building bridges in the racially and socioeconomically divided neighborhoods. Gallagher is most proud of the stories she has written that have elevated and amplified the lives and work of people in Anne Arundel County’s historically underrepresented communities.
Glenda Gathers, of Severn, is a community activist and leader. Over the past several decades, Gathers engaged community members, built relationships with elected officials, and partnered with Van Bokkelen Elementary School and Anne Arundel County police to provide activities for area youth. She raised money to take youth on field trips, provide mentorship, and provide them with activities such as banquets, sports events, summer camps, and even a trip to a dude ranch.
Erica Griswold, of Annapolis, was born and raised in the city, and has a deep connection to the community. Griswold is the Democratic nominee for the Register of Wills in Anne Arundel County. She is an advocate and facilitator who prioritizes equity and inclusion. Through her experiences abroad, in the medical field, and as an Annapolis community resource coordinator, Griswold is passionate about serving others.
De Lorma “Dee” Goodwyn, of Severn, has been involved in numerous volunteer efforts for the past 30 years. She has worked closely with the Anne Arundel County executive’s office to implement the annual Few of the Many and Women’s History/Michelle Obama awards programs. Goodwyn helped ensure the Guardians of the First Amendment Memorial was built in time to celebrate the anniversary of the deaths of staff members at The Capital newspaper. She worked with Statewide Equity members to initiate the new Emmett Till alert system, which alerts Maryland African American leaders when a racial incident has occurred.
Denise Henderson Hector, of Annapolis, is a licensed mortician with more than 47 years of experience. Following in the footsteps of her late grandfather, J.B. Johnson, Hector graduated with her Associate of Arts in Mortuary Science. In 1975, she became the youngest female licensed funeral director and embalmer in the State of Maryland and began her career with the historic William Reese and Sons Mortuary.
Laticia Hicks, of Annapolis, is a mentor coordinator for a nonprofit organization, a volunteer community organizer, and a retired public servant with more than 26 years of federal law enforcement experience. Her passion for education and social and racial justice led her to volunteer in various roles in the community. Hicks served as the education chairperson for the Anne Arundel County Branch of the NAACP. She currently serves on the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Equity Advisory Committee and the Global Community Citizenship Advisory group. In 2020, she co-founded the Parental Alliance for Student Safety, a public-school advocacy group with more than 3,400 members focused on the safety, equity, and well-being of the AACPS community.
Del. Dana Jones, of Annapolis, has served as a member of the House of Delegates since 2020, where she represents District 30A in the Maryland General Assembly. Jones currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, where she is a member of the Election Law and Education subcommittees. In her first year in office, Jones guided four bills through the House, two of which were signed into law by Gov. Larry Hogan and has helped more than 1,000 constituents receive unemployment benefits during the pandemic.
Gabrielle Martinez, of Glen Burnie, is a graduate of Howard University, where she supported college and local initiatives. Martinez began her career in youth program development as a volunteer coordinator for Big Brother Big Sister, and later worked on with the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital-Young Leaders Program as a program manager. In 2018, Martinez helped found Teach Reach Inspire Build and Empower Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of Black girls.
Heidi May, of Edgewater, volunteers across the Anne Arundel County community. She has worked with food pantries and soup kitchens, read to children in hospitals and clinics in underserved areas, delivered groceries to homebound seniors, organized school food drives, facilitated book/game drives for adults with developmental disabilities, walked dogs and fed animals in shelters, and more.
Dr. Tawana R. Offer, of Shady Side, is an educational administrator, program developer, and counselor. Offer currently coordinates the Maryland General Assembly Page Program, where she trains and supervises selected Maryland high school seniors learning about the state legislative processes.
Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien, of Annapolis, is the current chair and District 6 representative for the Anne Arundel County Council. She is a public-school teacher at Arundel Middle School in Odenton. Before beginning her career in education, Rodvien was an attorney, supporting a law firm that helped state education agencies implement the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Dana Z. Schallheim, of Severna Park, was elected to represent Council District 5 on the Board of Education in November 2018 for a six-year term. Highlights of her 36-year volunteer career include being named the ACLU of Mississippi’s Volunteer of the Year and leading a campaign through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association that raised $80,000 to help cover medical costs for a toddler who needed a kidney transplant.
Mitchelle Stephenson, of Annapolis, is the public information officer for the City of Annapolis, where she communicates vital information to city residents, businesses, and visitors. For more than two decades, Stephenson wrote for various newspapers and worked as a columnist and staff writer for The Capital.
Alderwoman Eleanor Tierney, of Annapolis, is currently serving her second term on the Annapolis City Council. Tierney is a member of the Caucus of African American Leaders, and her volunteer efforts work to restore original Annapolis residents who have been displaced due to the changing socioeconomics in the area. She sponsored and helped pass the R-21a City Council Resolution, which supports the Equal Justice Initiative. Tierney also helped pass O-13-21, which repealed the Annapolis City Code provisions relating to urban renewal projects.
Joanna Tobin, of Annapolis, is the president of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, representing District 6. She is an educator and has a background in education management, governance, and oversight. Tobin taught undergraduates at Georgetown University when she was a doctoral candidate, and later served as a member of the St. John’s College faculty.
Darla Watts, of Edgewater, is a senior paralegal in Annapolis, with more than four decades of experience specializing in petrochemicals, medical malpractice, domestic, and general practice law. Over the years, Watts helped secure the rights of many of her clients, and she had the privilege of working alongside the legendary civil rights attorney Alan Hilliard Legum.
Jacqueline V. Wells, of Annapolis, works for the Anne Arundel County Public School System and the Department of Social Services/Child Protective Services Unit. Wells is an active volunteer in the Anne Arundel community. She is the president of the Resident Council for her neighborhood where, among other issues, she worked with the Let’s Talk Social Youth Group and worked with the Ward One Residents Association.
Marion “Murnie” Wenn, of Annapolis, has had a career in public safety spanning more than 30 years, beginning with the Maryland Parole Commission and ending with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, where she retired as a captain in 2013. Part of Wenn’s commitment to community service involves volunteerism abroad: she has traveled to Cuba, Ghana, Haiti, and Honduras. Wenn works with local youth and young adults, planning activities and events that expose young people to new opportunities.
Ethel Leon Wirth, of Annapolis, is a Mexican immigrant who has lived in Annapolis since she was 19. Wirth has helped organize several grassroots efforts that have brought food and other necessities to the community. When she saw the lack of a social media presence for the Latino community in the Annapolis area, Wirth started the Facebook group “Se Fuerte Annapolis.” This community group of more than 8,000 members was formed in April 2020 to help area Latino families connect.
Jane Zanger, of Annapolis, has been a member of Connecting the Dots — Anne Arundel County since 2017. In that time, she has worked with the Dots team on several local events, including installing the Equal Justice Initiative historical markers on Calvert Street and at the Severna Park Library to memorialize lynching victims in the county. Zanger has been a teacher for 35 years and is currently a middle school teacher at the Key School in Annapolis.