Pauli Murray Award winners announced, ceremony set for Feb. 23

The Orange County Human Relations Commission is holding the 30th Annual Pauli Murray Awards on Sunday, February 23, 2020 from 3-5 p.m. in room 230 of the Whitted Building (300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough). The award is presented annually to an Orange County adult, business and/or youth that embody the attributes and spirit of Dr. Pauli Murray by serving the community with distinction in the pursuit of equality, justice and human rights for all citizens. The public is invited.

This year’s ceremony will honor Mae McLendon as the adult awardee and Thea Barrett as the youth awardee. Ms. McLendon is a long-time resident of Orange County and has served the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area for over 40 years through elected positions, civic volunteerism and the ministry. Ms. Barrett is a senior at East Chapel Hill High School, and is an advocate for sensible gun control, ending mental health stigma, and bettering the world for all through her service.

The keynote address will be given by Ed Pavlic, Ph.D., Distinguished Research Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Georgia. In addition to his many published works in publications like The New York Times, Boston Review, Harvard Review, and Callaloo, Pavlic has written 11 books of poetry, scholarship, fiction and non-fiction. Pavlic’s awards include the Albert Christ-Janer Creative Research Award (2015), the National Poetry Series Open Competition (2012, 2014), the The American Poetry Review / Honickman First Book Prize (2001), the Writer of the Year Award from the Georgia Writer’s Association (2009), and the Darwin Turner Memorial Award from African American Review (1997).

Come out to honor the legacy of Dr. Pauli Murray and show appreciation for this year’s winners and the quality contributions they make to Orange County. A reception will follow the ceremony.