On March 18, in honor of Women's History Month, Brooklyn Borough President #Eric Adams, State Sen. #Jesse Hamilton and City Councilmember #Laurie Cumbo co-hosted the second annual Shirley Chisholm Women of Distinction Celebration at the #Brooklyn Borough Hall, where hundreds of Brooklynites gathered to honor 12 prominent women from diverse fields, including activism, media, business and community development.
Monday's celebration honored #Misty Copeland, Principal Dancer of American Ballet Theater; #Miri Ben-Ari, Grammy Award Winning Violinist; #Wai Yee Chan, Director of Chinese-American Planning Council, Brooklyn Branch; Digna Layne, Community Development and Outreach Coordinator, Good Shepherd Services; Dr. #Elisa English, Social Worker and Therapist; #Jamilah Lemieux, Digital Editor of Ebony Magazine; Devorah Benjamin, Founder of Keren Simchas Chosson V'Kallah; Tracy Hobson, Executive Director, The Center for Anti-Violence Education; #Arelia Martinez, District Leader, 51st Assembly District; #Sondra Youdelman, Executive Director, Community Voices Heard; #Hettie Barnhill, Broadway Entertainer, Mentor & Choreographer; and Dr. #Eda Harris-Hastick, Professor, Medgar Evers College.
The event is named for the late Shirley Chisholm, the first black congresswoman and first major-party black candidate for U.S. president. Chisholm, who was born and raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, broke barriers as a community advocate and legislator and continues to serve as a role model for our children.
