This award was a special recognition in light of the recent pandemic—and in the spirit of the late civil rights icon Congressperson John Lewis—to honor the unique community leadership demonstrated by
Dawn Jeffrey in 2020.
Congressman John Lewis, legend of the Civil Rights movement and iconic grassroots organizer, died during the Summer of 2020, in the midst of a widespread uprising for racial justice in the U.S.
social justice activist –
And in today’s society, long after the sit-ins, protests, and freedom rides of the 1950s and 1960s;, his legacy of fighting against systemic racism has taken on renewed meaning, from his notion of a “beloved community” for which he vowed to keep fighting, to his call for us to get out of our homes and participate in the productive protest. That was the “good trouble” he often spoke of, even at one of his last public speeches on the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, where Lewis almost died crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
COMMUNITY LEADER –
In the spirit of Lewis and his ideas of empathy, active protest, and courageous sacrifice, and in light of the unique times our world has faced during a pandemic and racial justice reckoning, JCA created a special recognition this year to honor the unique community leadership demonstrated by Arkansas social justice activist and community leader Dawn Jeffrey.
LEAD ORGANIZER OF THE LITTLE ROCK FREEDOM FUND –
Named the Good Trouble Award, this recognition is meant to capture Dawn’s grassroots advocacy as the embodiment of Lewis’s philosophy for social change. Dawn has exhibited a commitment to consistently speaking up, speaking out, and getting in the way wherever she sees unrighteousness, injustice and unfairness here in Arkansas, regardless of the personal and professional risks inherently connected.
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