YWCA honors community members with racial justice awards
By Kendra Simpson
Several St. Joseph reporters were honored Friday for their coverage of Black stories, history and archives at the 28th annual Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism breakfast.
The YWCA, in partnership with the NAACP and Missouri Western State University’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, hosted the breakfast to honor those who advocate for equal treatment and respect of all St. Joseph residents, regardless of the color of their skin. The breakfast awarded five St. Joseph reporters with the Kelsy Beshears Racial Justice Award and presented Missouri Western student, Abigayle Lykins, the 2024 Kelsy Beshears Scholarship.
“We really just want to bring everybody together to notice that we all can work together for a better community,” YWCA CEO Danielle Brown said. “That things like racism and segregation and keeping people separate does us no good because when we can all come together, we really empower each other more and do better things for ourselves and for the community.”
Four News-Press NOW reporters who made a difference in the community with their story telling were recognized. News-Press NOW’s Chris Fortune, Jazmine Knight, Jenna Wilson and Kirsten Stokes received awards for their Black History Month features. Josephfer Williams also earned the award for his news coverage.
Stokes talked about the honor she felt to have her efforts recognized.
“I feel very grateful that we’re being recognized for the work that we do,” she said. “And I just want to continue to shed light on the racial issues that are happening here in St. Joseph and how we can improve those and how people can feel more confident in the community they live in.”
Clarence Green, keynote speaker and dean of North Central Missouri College Savannah campus, said the morning was just one example of the St. Joseph community working together to create a united front against racism.
“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for folks to come together and make a commitment so that we can work at changing our community every day,” he said. “I think that’s what we saw today and I hop that’s the lasting impact of what happened this morning.”
