Three to be honored at 27th Annual Hershel Walker Peace & Justice Awards May 25

The 27th Annual Hershel Walker Peace & Justice Awards Breakfast will be held Saturday, May 25.

The event, sponsored by the St. Louis Workers’ Education Society (WES), will be held at the WES headquarters at 2929 S. Jefferson Ave. in St. Louis. Doors open at 9:30 and the program begins at 10 a.m.

This year’s honorees include:

• Michael Yates, former Operating Engineers Local 148 president, treasurer and business representative. Additionally, Yates has served on the executive board of the North County Labor Club for nearly 20 years and is currently the club’s treasurer.
• Cory Bush, an activist and a community organizer who is running for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 election for the U.S. Congressional First District seat currently occupied by U.S. Representative William “Lacy” Clay.
• Missouri Women in Trades, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women to enter and succeed in apprenticeship and careers in the construction and building trades in the greater St. Louis area.

NEW MOTHER JONES EXHIBIT UNVEILED
The event will also feature the unveiling of a new Mother Jones exhibit at WES. Northern Illinois University Labor Historian Rosemary Feurer, director of the Mother Jones Heritage Project, will be the keynote speaker.

The Mother Jones Heritage Project collaborates with a network of partners to collect, interpret and preserve the legacy of labor activist Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, an Irish immigrant who became the movement’s leading organizer and who battled for workers’ rights and justice across America.

ABOUT THE AWARDS
The Hershel Walker award ceremony honors local labor and community leaders for their work in creating a more just and equitable society. Walker was a St. Louis trade unionist and human and civil rights leader committed to the struggle for peace and justice. Award winners will be announced soon.

TICKETS
Tickets for the event are $25 per person or $200 for a table of 10. Checks can be made payable to the St. Louis Workers’ Education Society and mailed to 2929 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO  63118. For more information, call Tony Pecinovsky at 314-583-9152.