Tremaine Wright Honors 19 Women for Outstanding Community Service

In an effort to recognize and celebrate nineteen women who are doing dynamic work in the 56th Assembly District, Assemblymember Tremaine S. Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) hosted the 2018 Women of Distinction Awards last week at Restoration Plaza.

“They are consistently showing up, speaking up, encouraging others and carrying the load,” Wright said of the honorees in her opening remarks. “So we all have a role to play in this,” Wright continued. “We can’t all do the same thing. And our civic engagement looks different from person to person and it looks different from one stage of life to the next.”

The community room where the event was held was packed with supporters. “I want to first encourage all the women in this room as well as our men,” said Wright, “because you don’t know who is watching and very often you are making an impact and you didn’t even realize the folks that you are impacting. We need you to keep doing everything you do.”

For several weeks prior to the event Wright’s office put out a call asking residents to nominate women who were working hard to make a difference in the community. Wright said it was a challenge to choose just nineteen. “It was a very difficult decision to whittle it down,” said Wright. “These women are worthy to be called women of distinction. They distinguish themselves every day.”

One awardee Dr. Kim Best, is the 79th Precinct Community Council President. Dr. Best is also involved with Community Board 3 and hosted a standing room only community Q and A session with New York City Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill. Wright said Dr. Best’s annual holiday party serves over 1000 children in the community. Dr. Best negotiates with businesses for donations to various programs including food distribution to needy families. “She leverages her connections to others to meet the needs of the most vulnerable residents in our community,” said Wright.

During the event, Wright pointed out distinguished guests in attendance including Kings County Civil Court Judge, Honorable Ingrid Joseph, District Manager of Community Board 3 Henry Butler and Wright’s predecesor Honorable Annette Robinson who Wright regards as her mentor. Also present was the NYPD 79th Precinct Auxiliary Unit.

Wright talked briefly about the community policing effort throughout the city that involve Block Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs). NCOs serve as liaisons between the police and the community. Wright encouraged all attendees to get to know the NCO on their block. “When people know one another there’s a humanity to the service,” she said, “and we definitely want to encourage that and we want to make sure we are constantly building bridges in our communities because we have to work together.”

Other awardees are: Pamela Cook, Leora Keith, Dr. Pascale Kersaint-Gibson, Simone Goss, Tameeka N. Ford, Dr. Jessica Striebel MacLean, Annette Alleyne-Merritt, Tahirah A. Moore, C. Zawadi Morris, Mecca Nelson, Cynthia Doris Pinn, Chanel L. Porchia Albert, Tawana Pyle, Danielle Pyle, Sherease Torain, Kara J. Benton-Smith, Dr. Cheryl Vernae Williams and Deborah L. Young.

*Photo of Tremaine S. Wright (center) with awardees Danielle Pyle and Tawana Pyle, courtesy of Yaw Asare Aboagye