Edna Award Nominations Open

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Young women leaders in the social justice movement are headed for the spotlight with the Berger-Marks Foundation accepting nominations (through July 31) for the 2012 Edna Award. The $10,000 award, which will be presented in the fall, is named after Edna Berger, a pioneer for women’s rights who rose from a receptionist at the Philadelphia Inquirer to become a writer, editor, and the first woman organizer for the Newspaper Guild. The Berger-Marks Foundation established the Edna Award in 2011 to recognize “a woman who has made an extraordinary contribution to social justice early in her career... [and whose] ongoing work will significantly improve the lives of working women and men.” Ana Maria Archila, director of the grassroots organization Make the Road New York, won the first-ever Edna Award last year, with DC Jobs with Justice’s Mackenzie Barris honored as a finalist (JWJ's Baris Finalist for Edna Award, UC 10/24/2011). “We are excited to continue supporting the important work of young activists like these women,” said Linda Foley, president of the Berger-Marks Foundation and former president of the Newspaper Guild. Click here for more information and to make a nomination. - photo of 2011 finalists courtesy of Berger-Marks Foundation