Seven Phoenix residents were honored for their commitment to creating a compassionate and socially just community at the recent 20^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Program and Breakfast, “Stand Up For Justice.”

The Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee and the Phoenix Human Relations Commission recognized recipients of the Calvin C. Goode Lifetime Achievement award and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream award during the breakfast. The event was sponsored by the Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee.

The recipients included Cloves C. Campbell Sr. for the Calvin C. Goode Lifetime Achievement award; and “Mother” Lottie Childers, Imam Abdur-Rahim Shamsid Deen, the Rev. Benjamin N. Thomas, Dr. Matthew Whitaker, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and Ron Williams for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream award.

The Calvin C. Goode Lifetime Achievement award recognizes an exceptional individual who has made Phoenix a better place to live through a lifelong dedication to promoting social and economic justice, defending civil rights and enhancing the dignity of all people. The award is named for former Phoenix City Councilman Calvin C. Goode, who worked to ensure these rights for all residents during his 22-year tenure with the council.

It was during his service to the city that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. state holiday was created. Guided by a deeply held belief in equality for all people, Goode's lifetime exemplifies a powerful commitment to improving the quality of life in Phoenix, especially for young people.

Accepting the Calvin C. Goode 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award for the late Cloves C. Campbell Sr., former publisher of the Arizona Informant newspaper who passed away in 2004, was Cloves Campbell Jr.

Campbell Sr. arrived in Arizona at age 14 and graduated from Phoenix Technical High School. He then graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in secondary education. For 33 years, he worked for Arizona Public Service Co. In 1962, he was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives and four years later, he became the first African-American elected to the Arizona State Senate.

As a state senator, he was the first legislator to introduce a bill calling for establishment of a state holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He continued his advocacy until the state holiday was created on Nov. 3, 1992. He also introduced the first bilingual education bill and sponsored legislation to create the Commission on the Status of Women.

For more than 30 years, Campbell published the only newspaper reporting on issues of interest to the African-American community. He was a politician, newspaper publisher, champion of the African-American community, and civil and human rights activist.

In February 2000, the Roosevelt Elementary School District named its newest school the Cloves C. Campbell Sr. Elementary School.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream Awards program recognizes six individuals who embody the ideas of Dr. King through their personal commitment to human relations and justice. The 2006 recipients are:

“Mother” Lottie Childers, founder and president of Women Helping Women Ministries and a South Phoenix resident for more than 50 years, exemplifies love, humanitarianism, honesty and generosity.

Childers established Women Helping Women Ministries to extend assistance and encouragement to women and their families from all walks of life who may be facing hardships. Through her initiative, more than 30 churches and shelters have received aid including help to pay rent and utility bills, and to provide furniture, household appliances and clothing.

Her voice was heard on KXEG radio for a number of years. Childers has demonstrated her commitment to helping others through her visits to prison inmates and court appearances to speak on behalf of those in need of a voice. She also spends time visiting the sick, driving people where they need to go, preparing food boxes and cooking for those who are unable.

She is the mother of 11 children but everyone calls her “mother” because of the love and compassion she gives.

Imam Abdur-Rahim Shamsid Deen, Imam of the Jewel of Al-Islam Mosque, has been a leader in helping the general public understand the true meaning of the Islam faith. He has led his congregation in its movement for peace and justice.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in Arizona recently, Imam was chosen to serve on a panel with His Holiness and other religious leaders to explain the relationship of unity that the Islam faith has with all other faiths. When there has been violence against individuals or religious worship centers, he has been an active supporter of these places and persons.

He is a longtime member of the Arizona Interfaith Movement board of directors, which represents 22 religious groups. Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he has been called upon by many churches and organizations to educate people on the Islam faith and has spoken out on terrorist activities as totally contrary to the Islam faith and the teachings of the Koran.

In every way, Imam has lifted and strengthened the dignity of all people.

The Rev. Benjamin N. Thomas has been the senior pastor of the Tanner Chapel A.M.E. Church for 15 years and a dynamic leader in the city’s African-American community.

Raised and educated in Kansas City, Mo., the Rev. Thomas attended Claremont Seminary in Claremont, Calif. Since 1982, he has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves, with special training in counseling, patient visitation and crisis intervention.

The Rev. Thomas served as the president of the Arizona Ecumenical Council for six years and was active in establishing the state Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. He has led his congregation in providing support to senior citizens and has been a vital advocate for helping the homeless and disenfranchised. When a program was created to turn in guns and teach non-violence on the streets, he and his Tanner Chapel congregation provided strong leadership and support.

He was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force, Advisory Council and is the former president of the Phoenix Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. Whenever people need hope, truth, faith and love, they call on The Rev. Thomas.

Dr. Matthew Whitaker, assistant professor of History and affiliate faculty member in African and African-American Studies and the School of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University, has been active in the Phoenix community for many years, including serving as secretary on the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center board of directors.

Whitaker served as a panelist at a roundtable discussion entitled “The Relevance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Africa” and currently serves as the historical advisor and international advisory council member for the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.

He was the historical advisor for the “African-American Historic Property Survey,” sponsored by the city of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office, is a regular participant in the “Career/Mentor Day” at Isaac Middle School and serves as a community speaker for the Arizona Humanities Council’s Speaker’s Bureau.

Dr. Whitaker also serves on the board of the Arizona State Libraries. Over the years, he has presented at the city of Phoenix Faces of Diversity Brown Bag Lecture Series and facilitated the city’s Healing Racism forums. As a professor, Dr. Whitaker continues to be an inspiration to his students and other members in the community.

Mary Rose Wilcox, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, District 5, has played a major role in Maricopa County embracing its diversity as an organization. Born in Superior and a fourth generation native from a pioneer Mexican-American family, Wilcox is the first Hispanic woman to serve on both the Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

She has devoted her career to public service, championing the first Civil Rights Day in Maricopa County, leading efforts in the area of fair housing and creating services for the homeless and youth.

She led the county’s efforts to create a homeless campus to centralize services for the homeless in downtown Phoenix. Wilcox has been a strong advocate for the AIDS community. She coordinated the disbursement of funds from the Ryan White Foundation that provided services to the AIDS community.

Wilcox was one of the original members of the neighborhood “fight back movement” and started a late night youth basketball program 15 years ago to help combat crime and gang involvement. She also is the founder of the city of Phoenix “Kool Kids” program that allows children to swim for free in various Phoenix public pools.

Ron Williams, president and CEO of the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council, has a track record of promoting the rights of all people. Raised in Memphis, Tenn., his world changed forever when Dr. King was assassinated. While in the military at Williams Air Force base, he served as a counselor at Camp Willie, which offered a two-week summer camp program to underprivileged children.

Since moving to Phoenix in 1985, Williams’ passion for civil and human rights has been exemplified by his many volunteer efforts dedicated to underprivileged children, the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and local immigrant communities. He also is a member of the NAACP, which advocates for the injustices of all minorities in the community.

As director of the Native American Business Development Center at the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, he became a voice and an advocate for the Native American community. He also worked at the city of Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department as the liaison to the Phoenix Mayor’s Human Relations Commission.

Currently, he is the president and CEO of the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council. In this capacity, he is coordinating an effort to bring the Hispanic, African-American, Asian and Native-American minority business communities together to learn how to work better together.

The Phoenix Human Relations Commission partners with the city of Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department to coordinate the awards program. For more information, call 602-261-8242/voice or 602-534-1557/TTY.

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