Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur hands President Obama awards to Cleveland community activist and journalist Kathy Wray Coleman, others, as America's first Black president will give his farewell speech at 8 pm CST in Chicago on January 10....View the awards ceremony pictures and video coverage here with comments from Coleman, who brought Cleveland community activists with her and following a luncheon earlier that day to recognize Coleman....Coleman said in her acceptance speech that President Obama was one of the nation's great presidents,' and that it was an honor to receive the award through Congresswoman Kaptur, the longest serving woman in congress, and she thanked Renate and David Jakupca for recommending her as well as greater Cleveland community activists that have fought with her on police excessive force issues, violence against women matters, and equity measures for Cleveland school children....By www.clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leaders
(Editor's note: Kathy Wray Coleman has received the President Obama 2016 community service award, which was handed to her by 9th Congressional District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur at Kaptur's Cleveland District office).
In the above picture is Cleveland activist and journalist Kathy Wray Coleman (second from right) with 9th Congressional District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (far right), Renate Jakupca, who recommended Coleman and others for the award (third from left), and Cleveland community activists of Frances Caldwell, who is the executive director of the Cleveland African American Museum (far left), David Patterson, who is president of the Carl Stokes Brigade (second from left), Marva Patterson (fourth from left), and Genevieve Mitchell (third from right)
Others that saluted Coleman that day at a luncheon in Cleveland held before the ceremony at Congresswoman Kaptur's office include Carnegie Roundtable President Charles E. Bibb Sr., Jane Sheets, who is the former executive director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Shaker Heights Precinct Committeewoman B.J. Tucker, Cleveland NAACP President Michael Nelson Sr., Holly Seawright, Charles Shepherd, and community activists Mary Seawright, Dion Carmichael Thomas, Betty Mahone and the Rev Gwendolyn Pitts
The video of Coleman's acceptance speech as to her 2016 community service award from President Obama that was handed to Coleman, a journalist and Cleveland activist, by 9th Congressional District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur at Kaptur's Cleveland district office
Recipients of the 2016 President Obama service award that attended the ceremony pose with recipient Kathy Wray Coleman (second from right), 9th Congressional District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (far right), who handed out the awards at her Cleveland district office, and Renate Jakupka (far left), who recommended the recognition, and who, along with her husband David Jakupca, leads the World's Children Peace Monument (WCPM) group and the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA).
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| President Barack Obama, the first Black president of the United States of America , who will give his farewell speech on January 10 at 8 pm CST at McCormick Place. The president officially leaves office on January 20. |
Cleveland Urban News.Com interviewed now President Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS. (Note: Cleveland Urban News.Com gets some 3.5 million views on Google Plus alone).
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The awards, handed out at Kaptur's Cleveland district office following recommendations from community leaders Renata Jakupca and her husband, David Jakupca, come as the president will give his farewell speech at 8 pm CST at McCormick Place at his adopted hometown of Chicago, Illinois. (Editor's note: The president officially leaves office on Jan. 20).
"I am pleased to hand out these awards on behalf of President Obama," said Kaptur.
The President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is a premiere award given annually for exemplary volunteer and civic service and was derived in 2003 by executive order of then president George W. Bush, and following the "9-11 attacks."
"I am pleased to hand out these awards on behalf of President Obama," said Kaptur.
The President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is a premiere award given annually for exemplary volunteer and civic service and was derived in 2003 by executive order of then president George W. Bush, and following the "9-11 attacks."
A former 14-year Cleveland schools high school biology teacher who trained for 17 years as an investigative journalist for the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, and who now edits Cleveland Urban News.Com and the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper's, Coleman leads the Cleveland-based Imperial Women Coalition and received a women's leadership award in March from Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
Coleman has fought against violence against greater Cleveland women, including the victims of serial killer Anthony Sowell and the late serial rapist and teen kidnapper Ariel Castro.
She is also a champion of equity for Cleveland school children and has rallied in Cleveland against police abuse and arbitrary Cleveland police killings of Black and other people, and women.
She led a rally last summer on Public Square during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland against violence against women and police killings, nationally, against Black women and Black people in general.
In accepting her Obama award from Congresswoman Kaptur, Coleman, who attended the ceremony with community activists by her side, including Ada Averyhart, Marva and David Patterson, Cleveland African-American Museum Executive Director Frances Caldwell and Genevieve Mitchell, thanked the Jakupca's, President Obama, and greater Cleveland community activists.
Coleman called Obama "one of the nation's great presidents." She said the president is a world class leader who will be sorely missed in the White House, and that he has been a jewel for Black America and others.
And she thanked Congresswoman Kaptur, saying it was an honor to receive the president's award through "the longest serving woman in congress."
She said that activists want ''the Ohio State Legislature to revise its unconstitutional school funding formula."
Others that saluted Coleman that day at a luncheon in Cleveland held before the award's ceremony at Kaptur's office include Carnegie Roundtable President Charles E. Biib Sr., Jane Sheets, who is the former executive director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Shaker Heights Precinct Committeewoman B.J. Tucker, Charles Shepherd, Cleveland NAACP President Michael Nelson Sr., Holly Seawright, and community activists Mary Seawright, Dion Carmichael Thomas, Amy Hurd, Betty Mahone and the Rev Gwendolyn Pitts.Coleman called Obama "one of the nation's great presidents." She said the president is a world class leader who will be sorely missed in the White House, and that he has been a jewel for Black America and others.
And she thanked Congresswoman Kaptur, saying it was an honor to receive the president's award through "the longest serving woman in congress."
She said that activists want ''the Ohio State Legislature to revise its unconstitutional school funding formula."
The complete list of award award recipients is as follows:
Joseph Bailey, Marty Cephas, Kenneth Maxwell, Dr. Joseph Wendel Kathy Wray Coleman, Patrick Cahill, Marty Allen, Abdul Jabbar, Brohi Eugene Schiopota, Leonard May, Don Bryant, ed the awards cerMarianne Quasebarth, Joseph Kocab and Robert and Mary Bennett. (Editor's note: Not all of the recipients attend the award ceremony at Kaptur's office due to prior engagements where bad weather in Cleveland caused it to be re-scheduled to December 19, 2016)
The oldest recipient of the 2016 PVSA handed out by Kaptur after recommendation from the Jakupca's , was 90-year-old Gene Schiopota
"What an honor," said Schiopota after accepting his award.
The oldest recipient of the 2016 PVSA handed out by Kaptur after recommendation from the Jakupca's , was 90-year-old Gene Schiopota
"What an honor," said Schiopota after accepting his award.
The Jakupka's. of greater Cleveland, lead the World's Children Peace Monument (WCPM) group and the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA).
The WCPM and the ICEA are the impetus for the President's Volunteer Service Award, which, according to the White House, "enables community organizations as certifying and leadership organizations to amplify their gratitude by joining with the president of the United States to thank their most dedicated volunteers."
"All recipients of the president's service award are role models for all Americans," said Renate Jakupca.
(Editor's note: The World's Children Peace Monument (WCPM) is located at Coe Lake Park in Berea, Ohio. An original idea conceived during EXPO 2000, the Worlds Fair held in Hannover, Germany. It was designed and built by Environmental Artist David Jakupca at the historic ARK in Berea as a project of the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) in cooperation with the United Nations 2000 Culture of Peace Program. The project is to encourage positive community participation through the establishment of site-specific works of public art, through cultural education and entrepreneurial training to children around the World).
