On June 7, 2019, the New York Society for Ethical Culture hosted the 2019 Dr. Phyllis Harrison-Ross Champions of Change Public Service Awards, honoring Congressman Jerry Nadler, Representative for New York’s 10th Congressional District and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee; and Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The night was hosted by Sade Baderinwa of ABC7, and featured remarks by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), NYC City Council Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo (D-Brooklyn), Congressman Adriano Espillat (D-NY), MSNBC Legal Analyst Jill Wine-Banks, and public health activist and Columbia University professor Irwin Redlener, M.D.
The night also featured a performance by acclaimed string quartet Sterling Strings NYC!
The awards honor the accomplishments of Ethical Culture’s Social Service Board Director Dr. Phyllis Harrison-Ross (1936-2017), who pioneered programs for developmentally disabled and mentally ill children. She chaired the Medical Review Board of the New York State Commission of Corrections, and served as director and chief of psychiatry at Metropolitan Hospital Community Health Center.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler received our 2019 Public Service Award. Congressman Nadler’s career of public service spans over 40 years, and he will play a major role in the pending Congressional investigations facing the nation.
Lee Gelernt received our 2019 Rising Star Public Service Award. Lee successfully argued the first case challenging President Trump’s travel ban on individuals from certain Muslim-majority nations, and he is currently litigating a national class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s separation of immigrant families at the border.
Thank you to everyone who came out!
Video credit: Roland Marconi
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