Under the banner of “Destination Liberation: Social Workers Empowering Change,” Rosemont Human Services, Inc. recently held its annual appreciation banquet honoring interns and community advocates at the JSU e-Center in Jackson, MS. Program guides were Linda Chess Collins, RN; Dr. Theresia Johnson Ratliff, LMSW; and Lucas N. Watson, LMSW. Guest speaker was Faith Fennidy, lead advocate for nationwide passage of The Crown Act.
Spring interns recognized were Tabatha Payne Buckner, Jackson State University; Amanda Cavett, Regent University; Justin Collier, Tougaloo College; Feleishia Gardner, Jackson State University; Shiquita Givens, Walden University; Yasmine Griffin, Jackson State University; Takyla Heard, Jackson State University; Bobby Houston, Jackson State University; Camille Jackson, Jackson State University; Georgia Powell, Alcorn State University; and Jacqueline Riley, Union University.
The 2024 honorees and their respective awards are as follows: Angela Simpson Buckner (Alice Thomas Tisdale – Publisher Emerita of the Year Award); Yasmine Griffin (Billy Foster – BSW of the Year Award); Jacqueline Riley (Brenda J. Carpenter – Rosemont Human Services Person of the Year Award); Barbara Weathersby (CLARA Award); Charles Shepphard (Delores Gibbs Rankins – Jefferson County Hospital Partial Hospitalization Program Award); Montae’l Z. Williams (Doris Griffith Bridgeman – Volunteer of the Year Award); Cassandra Bingham (Dr. Gwendolyn Spencer Prater – Program Director of the Year Award); Tabatha Payne Buckner (Dr. L.C. Dorsey – MSW of the Year Award); Arthur Willis (Dr. Ora Winston Stanton – Entrepreneur of the Year Award); Dr. Jacqueline Loggins (Dr. Ruth Rollins Searcy – Educator of the Year Award); Cassandra Welchlin – MS Black Women’s Roundtable (E.C. Bell – Executive Director of the Year Award); Clean Slate Behavioral Health Solutions, LLC – Dr. Mary Nelum & Dr. Olga Osby (Gwen Nero Loper – Human Service Agency Award); Faith Fennidy (Ms. Annie Devine – Advocacy of the Year Award); Pastor Terry Davis, First Hyde Park M.B. Church (Jimmie L. Edwards – Pastor of the Year Award); Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (President Dr. George A. Owens – Leadership Award); Mrs. Sadie O’Quinn Winn Green (Rep. Alyce Griffin Clarke – Pioneer Award); Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights – Attorney Jaribu Hill, Executive Director (Senator Alice Varnado Harden – Advocate Agency of the Year Award); Dr. Billy Brown, Amanda Cavett, and Donald Sutton (Senator Henry J. Kirksey – Community Service Awards); and Dorothy Jones Burrell (Sheriff Burnell Ramsey – Law Enforcement of the Year Award).
(Photos: Jimmy Burrell)
