The League of Women Voters of Seattle King County announced the recipients of the 2015 Champions of Voting and Civil Rights Awards. The theme of the 2015 awards is “New Americans,” and each of the recipients has made significant contributions to expanding voting access and civic involvement by new Americans.
“These individuals and this organization that we are honoring are shining examples of what a few dedicated individuals working in their community can do to ensure that people are involved in their government and can vote,” said Ellen Barton, President of the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County. “Even after all these years, our government is still of the people, by the people, and for the people, and that means all of the people.”
The winners of the 2015 awards are: David Perez, an attorney with Perkins Coie, who has committed countless pro bono hours to the Federal lawsuit against the City of Yakima which was the stimulus for passage of the Washington State Voting Rights Act, and CAIR-WA (the Council for American Islamic Relations) for their work encouraging voting and community involvement by members of the Muslim American community. Freshman Senator Pramila Jayapal, the founder of OneAmerica, will be honored with a lifetime achievement award.
The awards will be presented at the League of Women Voters’ Toast! To Our Diverse Heritage event, which will take place at the Wing Luke Museum, located in the Seattle International District at 719 S. King Street. The event is April 18, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with the awards presentation beginning at 7:15 p.m.
The event is open to the public, and is a fundraiser for the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County Education Fund. A limited number of tickets are still available at www.seattlelwv.org, or by calling 206-329-4848.
