March 15, 2006

Student receives women’s advocate Sojourner Truth award

 LINCOLN—Kate Simmons, senior communication major at Union College, received the Sojourner Truth Award at the Lincoln-Lancaster Women’s Commission International Women’s Day Luncheon on March 10.
        The Sojourner Truth Award is given to a woman between 14–40 years old who works to improve the quality of life for women in Lincoln or Lancaster County. Simmons writes articles for the Union College student newspaper, The Clocktower, that inform and challenge her peers on women’s equality issues. She also teaches English to political refugees and immigrants with Lincoln Community Gardens. Simmons is an active member of Union College’s chapter of Amnesty International, Peace and Social Justice Club and Lincoln NOW.
        Simmons was nominated by her Union College associate professors, Chris Blake, Beth Rodacker-Borgens and Mark Robison. As Robison stated, “Even though she is not enrolled in my class currently, I have had at least one student cite Kate as instrumental in his adopting a feminist stance.”
        When accepting the Sojourner Truth Award, Simmons encouraged the audience of “movers and shakers” to keeping striving for the goal of human equality. “Let’s keep doing what we’re doing,” Simmons said.
        More than 200 people attended the event including Lincoln mayor Coleen J. Seng, past mayors, current city commissioners and state senators and Shinae Chun, keynote speaker and the first Korean American director of the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau.

Kate Simmons is joined by Lincoln major Coleen Seng, Union College attendees and other participants at the International Women's Day Luncheon.