Anti-Defamation League Civil Rights Awards

The 2014 Anti-Defamation League Civil Rights Awards ceremony took place at the Denver Art Museum on Thursday, February 6th.  Guests arrived at 5:30 pm for a reception, followed by the award program at 6 pm.  Guests were welcomed by Andrea Shpall, the board chair for the ADL Mountain States Region.  Holly Stein Sollod, co-chair of the ADL Civil Rights Committee, then introduced past honorees and dignitaries.  Scott Levin, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, addressed attendees with the Director’s Message, reflecting on the work the ADL has accomplished over the past year, but reminding guests that there remains work to be done. The first recipient of the 2014 Civil Rights Award, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives Mark Ferrandino, was introduced by Co-Chair Daniel McKenzie for spearheading the passage of same sex civil unions in Colorado.  Fran and Anna Simon then came to the podium with their son, Jeremy, to describe how Mark Ferrandino’s tireless efforts to secure the passage of civil unions affected their family. The second 2014 Civil Rights Award was Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU) and its leadership, President Stephen M. Jordan and Board Chair Robert Cohen, introduced by Co-Chair Monica Rosenbluth.  MSU and its leadership was recognized for providing a path for undocumented students who attended high school in Colorado to attend the University at a special tuition rate.  Student Cesiah Guadarrama Trejo addressed the attendees with her personal story and how MSU has made it possible for her to follow her dreams of getting her college degree. For more information about ADL and how you can get involved, log on to http://denver.adl.org.