The Facing Race Ambassador Awards took place Tuesday, April 28, honoring the racial equity work of Nekima Levy-Pounds, law professor and civil rights activist, and Lucila Dominguez of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) — in English, Center of Workers United. Each award recipient will designate a grant of $10,000 from the Saint Paul Foundation to go to an organization working to end racial disparity.

2015 Facing Race Ambassador Awards recipient. (l-r): Chaun Webster, Russel and Sarah Balenger, Delores Henderson, Lucila Dominguez, and Nekima Levy-Pounds
(l-r): Carleen Rhodes, president and CEO of The Saint Paul Foundation; Chaun Webster of Ancestry Books and Free Poet’s Press; Russel and Sarah Balenger of Circle of Peace Movement; Delores Henderson Ph.D., principal of Hazel Park Preparatory Academy; Lucila Dominguez of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL); Nekima Levy-Pounds, law professor and civil rights activist, and Rowzat Shipchandler, racial equity manager for Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Saint Paul Foundation

The honorable mentions this year were: Russel and Sarah Balenger of Circle of Peace movement; Delores Henderson, Ph.D., principal of Hazel Park Preparatory Academy; and Chaun Webster of Ancestry Books and Free Poet’s Press. The keynote speaker at this year’s awards was damali ayo (read more about ayo here).

Also at the event, the Saint Paul Foundation announced the launch of a new grant program in honor of its 75th anniversary. The grant program is designed to raise awareness of nonprofits who are working to end racial disparities and enable them to carry out and/or deepen their racial equity work.

Below, see photos from the event courtesy of the Saint Paul Foundation:

Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.