Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Progressive Women of Pelham.

June 17, 2021 – Progressive Women of Pelham (PWP) awarded its annual Violet Massie-Vereker Student Activist Award to two Pelham Memorial High School seniors, Nadine Leesang and Sophia Leung. The award recognizes a Pelham high school senior who has been a leader in any of the following areas: social justice, climate change, access to universal healthcare, comprehensive reproductive health services, economic justice, free speech, voting rights or human rights. Both students received a $1000 grant with the award, with funds raised expressly for this purpose among PWP members.

The award committee, which consisted of 7 PWP members (excluding Executive Board members) reviewed and assessed applications blindly (the names and personal data of the applicants were expunged).

“We were blown away by the activism and accomplishments of the many Pelham seniors who applied this year,” said PWP Awards Committee member Maria Calvelli. “This was an extremely difficult decision and in the end, two applicants were tied on the Committee’s assessment metrics. As a result, the Board decided to bestow the award on both of these brave and tireless student activists.”

“The applicants were so amazing and it was a joy to see all the great work being done in Pelham,” added Mina Simone, a 2015 PMHS graduate who serves on the PWP Advisory Council and the Awards Committee.  “I’m glad that we are able to continue Violet’s spirit in honoring these two recipients.”

Leesang has worked to support our elected officials, interning for State Senator Alessandra Biaggi and volunteering on now US Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s 2020 successful campaign for office. In addition, she used her voice as a Student Equity Leader to share the perspective of minority students on the controversial Thin Blue Line flag, sharing their objections to the symbol with the school district’s Cultural Competence Committee, writing a forceful letter to the Pelham Examiner, and speaking on the subject to the New York Times.

“My testimony provided a voice to many students who felt silenced by the hostile comments against people with different viewpoints,” shared Leesang. “My action to make my school community a safer place for students of color was merely one step in my social justice journey.”

In addition, Leesang has worked to make the school system safer for LGBTQ+ students and other students of marginalized identities. In the first week of April, alongside Pelham United and the same group of Student Equity Leaders, she planned a Stop Asian Hate rally where she spoke on how microaggressions against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have led to the escalation of violence towards AAPI.

Over the past year, Sophia Leung launched the Pelham Equity Book Drive to make elementary classroom libraries in the school district more inclusive and diverse for its students. She has collected more than $3,500 worth of book donations so far, and recently received a sizable donation from a local business to help her reach her goal of 10 books per classroom (about 700 in total).

“I am so honored and grateful to have received the Violet Massie-Vereker Award,” stated Leung. “I admire the passion and mission of the Progressive Women of Pelham, and it truly means so much to me to be recognized for pursuing similar goals.”

As a Student Equity Leader, Leung worked with Leesang to organize a Stop Asian Hate rally in April to speak out against the ongoing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in our area. The two also worked with other Student Equity Leaders to address the tense divide between Pelham Police forces and many Pelham students. Among her many other leadership positions, Leung also serves as Deputy Managing Editor of the Pelham Examiner.

“Both Nadine and Sophia have been fierce and eloquent advocates for greater equity in our school district,” said PWP Awards Committee member Janna Zagari. “Now more than ever, we need to listen to our student leaders and provide the support and resources they need to make our schools safer and more equitable for all students.”

The annual PWP award was created to recognize the ground-breaking activism of PMHS 2019 graduate Violet Massie-Vereker who, in March 2017, organized the first political march in Pelham history to support the Bill of Rights, civil and women’s rights, and immigration protection, all under threat during the Trump administration. In 2018-19, Massie-Vereker was nationally recognized for her leadership on gun control and, as a founding member of Pelham Eliminates Plastics, recognized locally for her advocacy work around climate change. Then PWP co-chair Marisa Panzani said in 2019: “We hope Violet’s legacy is to inspire the next generation of Pelham students to advocate for change that promotes social justice and progressive values.”

“We see Violet’s legacy continued in these extraordinary young women, the bold leaders we need to meet the many challenges of our time,” said PWP Executive Director Paula Wood,. “As they begin the next chapter of their lives, we know they will continue to champion progressive issues at every level of government, in our community and around the world.”