Sojourner Truth Social Justice Awards to Five High School Seniors

Five outstanding graduating high school seniors from Hampshire public schools will be awarded Sojourner Truth Social Justice Awards of $1,500 at the annual commemoration of Sojourner Truth on Sunday, May 29 at 2:00 p.m. Zaida Streit, lives in Springfield (Hampden County) and attends PVPA; Simone Robinson, is a senior at Amherst Regional High School; and Chloe Bucs, Maddie Raymond and Kamini Waldman attend Northampton High School. Once again, due to the COVID pandemic, our recognition ceremony will be virtual this year instead of our traditional ceremonial gathering at the Sojourner Truth statue in Florence (please see Zoom link below).

Kamini Waldman, who is President of the NHS Student Union, organized a large-scale community donation request and co-wrote a grant from the Northampton Education Foundation that provides personal supplies as well as school materials for students to access on a daily basis. Zaida Streit is President of the Black Student Union at PVPA and created a show about microagressions. Maddie Raymond has a monthly column at the Greenfield Recorder called Speak Now and writes about social justice issues. Chloe Bucs learned inclusive leadership skills in the Abundance Farm internship program, and applied these skills when there was an incidence of bullying in a children's group she was leading for Starlight Youth Theater. Simone Robinson was a leader in organizing anti-racism efforts at ARHS. In their applications, all spoke of how their work is in keeping with that of Sojourner Truth.

Background: The Sojourner Truth Social Justice Award honors seniors who have been engaged in social justice work that aligns with the vision of Sojourner Truth during her time living in Florence, MA (1844-1857). Forty-eight seniors have received the Social Justice Award since 2006. The awards program was extended to include Hampden County students in 2017. Funding for the scholarships comes from local businesses who are Community Support Partners and individual donors.See for more information on the scholarship and past recipients, as well as the committee’s work in honoring the legacy of Sojourner Truth and the abolitionist history of our region.

To view the video of the ceremony please click here