Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Arlington Announces Human Rights Winners
Award ceremony and reception on November 9
ARLINGTON, VA – Arlington’s Human Rights Commission has announced the winners of the 2006 James B. Hunter Human Rights Awards: Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), Susan Prokop, Rhonda Buckner, and the Washington Shakespeare Company.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony and reception on Nov. 9, 7-9 p.m., at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre, 1611 N. Kent Street in Arlington. The facility is wheelchair accessible and there is parking on site. Sign language interpreting services will be provided.
Naomi Churchill Earp, Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will be the keynote speaker. Rena Comisac, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division also will speak.
The Hunter Awards recognizes sustained commitment and outstanding accomplishments in the area of human rights made in Arlington County by an individual, community group, nonprofit organization or business.
About the Winners
Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN): Founded in 1989, A-SPAN has worked for nearly two decades to address the problem of homelessness in Arlington. The organization fights homelessness by meeting emergency needs, including food and shelter; conducting outreach and providing case management and employment assistance; advocating for new programs to fill gaps in preventive, emergency, and rehabilitative services; and by increasing community awareness and involvement in ending homelessness.
Susan Prokop: As associate advocacy director for the Paralyzed Veterans of American (PVA) since 1997, and chair of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), she leads by example to ensure the disabled community has a voice with regard to housing, employment, social security, and healthcare. Prokop worked tirelessly to promote understanding of, compliance with, and proper implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fair Housing Act amendments.
Rhonda Buckner: Buckner has worked to advance human rights and diversity, and she has consistently taken on roles of advocate and leader in promoting understanding, tolerance, and support for persons with disabilities and sexual minorities. She served as co-director for the Joint Advocacy Coalition for the mentally disabled, and director of the Personal Support Network (a non-profit program that served as a legal guardian, power of attorney, advocate, and case manager for people of all ages with disabilities). Buckner also served as consultant for both The Arc of Northern Virginia and Whitman-Walker Clinic.
Washington Shakespeare Company (WSC): WSC continues to be a model for diversity in the D.C. metro region arts community through its casting practices and audience outreach. WSC’s productions make clear their commitment to hiring cast members who mirror the diversity of the community. By practicing non-traditional casting, actors of various ethnicities, ages and abilities play roles that would not traditionally be assigned to minorities.
Background
The James B. Hunter award is named in memory of a former Arlington County Board member who spent years in public service, working on behalf of individuals with little access to government.
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
