For Immediate Release
Contact: Amelia Murphy
202-223-4000
aam@center4research.org
Twitter: @NC4HR
#ForemothersandHeroes
Local Trailblazers and Flint, Michigan Heroes to Be Honored on Monday, May 9
Washington, DC – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, journalist Judy Woodruff, and Civil Rights champion Elaine Jones will be honored as trailblazing “Foremothers” and two heroes from Flint, Michigan will be honored as Health Policy Heroes at the annual Awards Luncheon of the National Center for Health Research (NCHR) at the Mayflower Hotel.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, the Foremother awards honor lifetime achievements by women who have broken down barriers for other women and whose inspiring contributions helped improve the lives of adults and children nationally. The Health Policy Hero awards are for recent extraordinary contributions that directly improve the health and safety of adults and children across the country.
Where and When: The historic Mayflower Hotel at 1127 Connecticut Ave NW, in Washington, D.C., Monday, May 9 at noon
“We’re thrilled to honor LeeAnne Walters and Marc Edwards, two of the most important voices fighting the public health crisis caused by unsafe drinking water in Flint, Michigan and many other communities,” says NCHR president Dr. Diana Zuckerman.
- Health Policy Hero Marc Edwards is the Virginia Tech engineer and MacArthur “genius” award winner who was recently named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2016. He has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to get to the truth in Flint, Washington, D.C., and other communities.
- Health Policy Hero LeeAnne Walters is a “stay-at-home” Mom who realized that state and local officials were not telling the truth about the water in Flint, conducted her own investigation, and was instrumental in getting Edwards and EPA involved.
“These three Foremothers have inspired millions of women and opened up a world of opportunities for others. I’m so proud to have the opportunity to honor them,” Dr. Zuckerman adds.
- Foremother Judy Woodruff is one of our nation’s foremost journalists. She was one of the few women serving as a White House correspondent during the Carter Administration and has been in the top ranks of journalists ever since – at CBS, NBC, PBS, and CNN. She co-founded the International Women’s Media Foundation to help mentor and encourage other female journalists to succeed worldwide.
- Foremother Elaine Jones has dedicated her life to the Civil Rights Movement. She has been an inspiring champion for fairness and equality, successfully fighting for voting rights and against discrimination as the first woman to serve as the President and Director-Counsel of NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund.
- Foremother Nancy Pelosi is the most powerful woman in Congress and our nation’s first woman Speaker of the House. Wendell Primus, Leader Pelosi’s Senior Policy Advisor, will accept her award.
To see NCHR’s past Awards Luncheons, click here.
See the invitation for 2016 here.
The National Center for Health Research is dedicated to improving the health and safety of adults and children by using research to develop more effective treatments and policies. The event supports the Center’s Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund, which helps adults and children reduce their risk of getting cancer and provides assistance in choosing the safest, most effective treatments. You can learn more at www.stopcancerfund.org