FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2015
YWCA GREATER AUSTIN ANNOUNCES
2015 DIANA L. GORHAM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE
Two Austin Women to be Honored August 28th
AUSTIN, Texas (August 24, 2015) – Continuing with its mission of empowering women and eliminating racism, the YWCA Greater Austin announces its 2015 Diana L. Gorham Lifetime Achievement Honoree. For nearly 30 years, the YWCA Greater Austin has paid tribute to the numerous inspirational women of Greater Austin. This honor allows the Austin community to recognize and celebrate the outstanding work of their local women leaders. Each year, applications are accepted from community members who work directly with women in the Austin area that embody the mission of the YWCA, that is, to empower women and eliminate racism. Peers are able to honor each other for their hard work and determination; women are able to publicly recognize their talents and community service; and lifelong activists can ensure that a legacy is remembered. Moreover, this tribute allows younger generations of Austin women to witness the great determination and talents of some of the city’s most dedicated and lifelong members.
The YWCA Greater Austin will once again honor an extraordinary local woman leader for her tireless efforts to promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all in her everyday life and career. The YWCA has transformed the Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award to the Diana L. Gorham Lifetime Achievement Award, in honor of our retiring leader of the past 20 years and a lifelong activist for the Latino, LGTBQ and feminist communities of Greater Austin, and beyond.
This year’s honoree is a woman who has inspired and mentored individuals and groups through her community involvement. The 2015 honoree is a lawyer and an independent scholar. Her current law practice is limited to immigration matters and criminal defense. Virginia Marie Raymond, JD, PhD, spent the last year advocating for refugee families incarcerated at the Karnes City detention center. Early in her legal career, she co-founded the Political Asylum Project of Austin / Proyecto Político de Austin (PAPA), now American Gateways, a nonprofit law office serving refugees and immigrants. She has represented people with disabilities, juveniles, and activists committing civil disobedience.
As a scholar, Dr. Raymond explores state violence as well as the literary, legal, and religious aspects of movements for social justice. Her works include her dissertation “Mexican Americans Write for Justice in Texas, 1973 – 1982”; several articles on the labor and education activist Alberta Zepeda Snid, and “Faithful Dissident: Alonso S. Perales and Segregation within the Catholic Church.” Raymond has also conducted or supervised well over a hundred oral histories related to human rights, including the death penalty, other state violence, and disability rights organizing.
With Thomas Kolker, she is the mother of Joseph, Rebecca, and Louis Raymond-Kolker.
The award winner is selected by a panel of YWCA volunteers who review each of the nominees’ community involvement, specifically how a woman exemplifies outstanding leadership in issues related to empowering women and eliminating racism in her community. The nominee must have made or is making a significant contribution supporting and advocating women and a catalyst for change in her lifetime.
The Diana L. Gorham Lifetime Achievement Award Reception will take place this Friday, August 28, at the Duchman Family Winery from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The reception includes a silent auction, hot appetizers and wine from the Duchman Family Winery, the award presentation, and an appreciation send-off. Tickets for the event are $25 each and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
About the YWCA Greater Austin
The YWCA is the largest women’s organization working for social and economic change around the world and in local communities. For more than 100 years, the YWCA Greater Austin has been dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women through its various programs and services. Today, the YWCA Greater Austin focuses on providing specialized mental health counseling for every woman and her family, resiliency classes for high-risk youth, professional development, emergency childcare subsidies, and women’s rights advocacy.
Contact for Further Information:
Teresa Carbajal Ravet
Tel. 512.326.1222
development@YWCAaustin.org
www.YWCAaustin.org
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