Award recognized leaders who champion gender equity in the City of Los Angeles.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr., named Jenesse Center CEO Karen Earl as 2018 Pioneer Woman of the Year for the City of Los Angeles 10th Council District.
The annual Pioneer Woman of the Year Award honors leaders who champion gender equity in the City of Los Angeles. The theme of this year’s ceremony was “The Intersection of Female Homelessness: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking”.
Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. said, “We are proud to honor (Karen Earl) who has selflessly contributed to the lives of women and girls and the most vulnerable groups among them.”
Karen Earl, Jenesse CEO said, “The work that we do at Jenesse Center is a team effort; I would like to thank and include in this acknowledgement the Jenesse Board Members, Staff and the Jenesse Achievement Circle. Our story started with 5 African American women, victims of domestic violence, who believed if they spoke up, they could make a change not only for themselves, but other women too. Now, Jenesse is coming up on 40 years of service for a social ill that, for a long time, NO ONE wanted to talk about! SILENCE and SHAME was devastating women in our community. Now, we have the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, where women and men are no longer suffering in silence or stigma. Victims are no longer being blamed for what they suffered. It’s a new day and we have been working towards this turning point for years.”
Earl said, “People ask what they can do to move this cause forward. We need resources to support our prevention and intervention programs that address gender-based abuse and violence, particularly for African American women, who are often the most vulnerable. We need financial help to educate the community, particularly young people on what healthy relationships look like, what is socially acceptable behavior and what is a violation of human rights, so that we can break the cycle of violence. We sincerely appreciate the donor support that makes Jenesse’s sustainability possible and for this prestigious award that recognizes our programs and services that champion the basic human right for everyone to have peace and safety in their homes, schools, workplaces and relationships.”
