Rod Jones, Angela Henry and Stephan Russo
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Supporters and guests flocked to our annual Bash to celebrate another year of work in the community—and to find out who won our social justice book prizes.
Soft lights glowed overhead at our new location, the Bryant Park Grill, where the glass walls and roof offered panoramic views of the city. Just steps away stood the main branch of the New York Public Library—appropriately enough for an event that celebrates books.
“From youth empowerment to housing, mental health support to Meals on Wheels and everything in between, Goddard Riverside has been a beacon of hope and opportunity in our community for over 170 years,” said host Angela Henry in her opening remarks. “We couldn’t do it without the support of people like you, so thank you!”
Just One Pebble. One Boy’s Quest to End Hunger by Dianna Wilson Sirkovsky for Clavis Publishing won the Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice. Illustrated in warm colors by Sara Casilda, Just One Pebble is the true story of a boy who ignites awareness and provides aid for hunger relief in his community.
The Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice was shared by two titles: Punished For Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal by Bettina L. Love for St. Martin’s Press and Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: the United States, Central America, and the Making Of A Crisis, by Jonathan Blitzer for Penguin Press.
Explaining the unusual double award, the judges wrote: “These books address two of the most compelling issues facing our city and country: the education of Black children in over-policed and underfunded schools, and the struggles of individuals and families entering the country from Central America. Both books take a hard look at the policies that have created these situations over decades. They are aligned with Goddard’s mission of equity and opportunity for all. We feel they’re essential reading for anyone who wants to help create a better and more prosperous New York City that works for all its residents.”
President Roderick L. Jones echoed those themes of equity and opportunity. The work of Goddard Riverside and our partners, the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center, he said, “is not about giving people things, it’s about helping them up.”
While unhoused people living on the street are often overlooked, “we have teams of people out every day meeting them where they are, trying to get them to come in so they have decent housing and can restart their lives,” Jones continued. “It goes all the way to older adults who might otherwise not have a meal; we deliver about 2,000 meals every single day to homebound older adults.”
Investments in society, he concluded, aren’t just an act of generosity; they benefit everyone.
“When our people do well locally,” he said, “the city does well, the state does well, the nation does well.”