Salisbury, Maryland—Mayor Jake Day and The City of Salisbury’s Human Rights Advisory Committee is proud to announce the creation of the City of Salisbury Human Rights Award, an award to honor an individual, group, business, or organization that has supported a transformation of structures or attitudes for human rights within the city.
The Human Rights Advisory Committee (HRAC), which was created by a City Council resolution in 2016, is responsible for advising the Mayor on inclusionary strategies that will strengthen the connections and networks among diverse communities in the City of Salisbury. This award is the newest project to come out of HRAC, which was responsible for proposing past projects like the Lynching Memorial Task Force and the Open to All Campaign.
“With this award, we set out to recognize and celebrate the remarkable contributions made by our Salisbury citizens, organizations, and businesses,” said HRAC Vice Chair Stephen Feliciano about the new award. “We should all be grateful for their efforts and support. When we say human rights, we are saying [to] treat everyone with fairness, respect, equality, and dignity. It takes great courage to stand up and protect these rights.”
HRAC has outlined a set of five eligibility criteria for nominees, which are listed below:
- Nominee is an individual, group, business or organization that holds or has assumed a leadership role in activities or programs that advocate for and/or support a transformation of structures and/or attitudes for human rights within the City of Salisbury.
- Individual nominee resides or is employed within the City of Salisbury. Group, business or organization nominee must be Salisbury-based.
- The activities for which the individual, group, business, or organization is nominated can be conducted through employment or on an individual-basis.
- Nominees may not be SELF-nominated.
- Nominees must not be part of a government institution or have an official role within a political party, although the nominee may be affiliated with a political party.
The application for the Human Rights Award is now live, and the City encourages all members of the public to submit nominations. “Through this new award, our goal is to honor the person or people who have become changemakers in our city, who have established themselves as steadfast leaders in our journey to equality,” says Mayor Jake Day. “Our city has come a long way in the fight against discrimination, but there is still room for progress and change to be made. This award will shine a light on those who are putting in the hard work every day to be a part of that change in their own community.”
The Human Rights Advisory Committee has also released a mission statement that all nominees must be aligned with. It reads as follows: “[The nominee] advances the dignity of individuals, groups, and our community by strengthening those who are advocating for Human Rights and Social Justice and engaging the community in such cause.”
The application for the Human Rights Award will remain open until October 30, 2022, at which point nominees will be judged by a panel comprised of the Mayor, a City Council member, and a Salisbury community leader who will confirm one recipient of the award.
For more information and to submit a nomination, please visit https://salisbury.md/mayors-office/human-rights-advisory-committee/city-of-salisbury-human-rights-award.