The Appleseed Foundation and New York Appleseed are proud to name Maya Wiley, Raymond Lin, and Markus Green & Pfizer as the recipients of the 2023 Appleseed Pillars of Justice Award.
The honorees’ work on school integration, health equity, and the public interest are powerful examples of Appleseed’s vision of a world where communities work together so every person can thrive and justice is abundant.
MAYA WILEY
Maya Wiley is the President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a renowned civil rights attorney. While a Senior Vice President for Social Justice at the New School University, Maya co-chaired the NYC Mayor’s School Diversity Advisory Group, which published two seminal reports furthering equity and integration in NYC public schools.
“The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has been proud to have Appleseed as a member of our coalition for nearly two decades. Appleseed has been an important leader in the fight forward to reduce poverty and win justice for our communities,” said Maya Wiley, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “We are committed to a shared mission to ensure an America that lives up to its ideals.”
RAYMOND LIN
Raymond Lin, a longtime leader in the Appleseed Network, served as co-chair of the national Appleseed Foundation Board of Directors and was instrumental in the creation of Missouri Appleseed and Arkansas Appleseed. During his 30-plus years at Latham & Watkins LLP, Raymond was a stalwart champion for pro bono service in the public interest. He is now the Chief Legal Officer of Mohegan, a gaming and entertainment company that operates casino resorts in North America and Asia.
“Appleseed is a bold nonprofit that delivers real, concrete benefits in people’s lives,” Raymond Lin said. “My role in launching Missouri Appleseed and Arkansas Appleseed and my time leading the Appleseed Foundation Board have been highlights of my career.”
MARKUS GREEN &
PFIZER, INC.
Pfizer is a longtime partner of the Attorney General Alliance. Pfizer was instrumental in starting the Attorney General Alliance Africa Program. The program, which was founded seven years ago, trains prosecutors, judges, and investigators in twelve different nations on the Continent. The AGA Africa Program helps to create a knowledge bridge between the US State Attorneys General and members of the criminal justice system in Africa, all in an effort to share expertise and build capacity to combat a myriad of transnational crimes such as human trafficking, cyber related fraud, and money laundering.
“Pfizer, being a global company recognizes its role and responsibility to be good global citizen. The enterprise simply lives its values,” Markus Green, Vice President & Assistant General Counsel for Pfizer, said. “At Pfizer we understand the inter-connectivity of humanity. We understand that shutting down a human trafficking ring in Nigeria can also save a young girl here in New York.”
The Appleseed Advocate of the Year Award honors a member of the Appleseed Network who has shown exceptional commitment to social justice and unwavering dedication to community collaboration. This year’s recipient, Gloria Sarmiento, is a senior community organizer for Nebraska Appleseed’s Immigrants and Communities program, where she connects with immigrant leaders from across the state to support new leaders, civic engagement, and worker rights.
GLORIA SARMIENTO
Gloria Sarmiento’s dedication to the community has made a remarkable impact. As one of her nominators described, “For decades, Gloria has been a tireless and unapologetic fighter for social justice through her work as a community educator and organizer. She has always centered the voices and experiences of the community throughout each step of this work and has accomplished things we never dreamed possible here in Nebraska.”
“When we work together with families, workers, students, faith leaders, teachers, business owners — we can accomplish so many positive policy changes that build strong, beautiful communities.”
– Gloria Sarmiento
The Appleseed Community Partner of the Year Award recognizes the exceptional contributions of individuals and organizations who work with Appleseed centers to advance justice across the US and Mexico. This year’s award recipients are CREOKS, a non-profit organization working with Oklahoma Appleseed to provide behavioral health services to young people in Tulsa, and Rene Kathawala, Orrick‘s firmwide pro bono counsel who has worked with New York Appleseed for nearly a decade to advance the center’s advocacy for integration of NYC schools and communities.
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CREOKS
In nominating CREOKS, Oklahoma Appleseed Executive Director Colleen McCarty wrote, “CREOKS is tasked with the impossible, but they lean in with grace and determination that every client get the best care no matter their resources.”
CREOKS Director of Family Centered Services, Katherine Conner said, “The CREOKS team is so thankful for the Partnership with Oklahoma Appleseed. It has allowed us to serve Tulsa County at-risk youth in such a beautiful, new way. We are looking forward to continuing to serve many more families with OK Appleseed!”
Rene Kathawala
“Rene Kathawala has not only been a pro bono partner for NY Appleseed, but also a kind ear and welcome thought partner on our efforts and initiatives,” New York Appleseed Executive Director Nyah Berg wrote in nominating Rene. “He was part of the team that created one of our most foundational reports, our ‘Within Our Reach’ briefing, which defined the levers of segregation in NYC.”
“It has been an honor for me to partner with NY Appleseed and my colleagues at Orrick to work for equity and access to good schools for all,” Rene Kathawala said. “When we started this work more than a decade ago, no one was discussing the distressing state of segregation in the New York City public schools. NY Appleseed decided then to embark on a journey to address that segregation and to work with and to empower local communities to integrate our schools. We have a lot more work to do, but NY Appleseed has demonstrated powerfully that change can happen without court intervention and with committed values and goals.”
