Honors and Awards
News & Honors Sojourn in the News
DOROTHY BOYAJIAN HONORED TEACHER AWARD
January 2013: Dorothy Boyajian Honored Teacher Award was presented to Jeff Steinberg by Senator Jerry Hill as selected by the San Mateo County, CA planning team for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Ceremony in that county. Senator Hill nominated Mr. Steinberg for the Award which honors commitment to justice, understanding, civic engagement and diversity awareness in the spirit of Dr. King.
CALIFORNIA SENATE RESOLUTION No. 260
Pictured from left to right: Honorable Curren D. Price, Jr., 26th Senatorial District; Honorable Darrell Steinberg, Senate President Pro Tempore; Minnijean Brown Trickey (Little Rock Nine); Jeff Steinberg, Sojourn founder and executive director; Honorable Mark Leno, 3rd Senatorial District
February 2012: Authored by Senators Curren D. Price, Jr. and Mark Leno, the California State Senate presented Sojourn to the Past with a Resolution commending Sojourn “for providing a unique and transformational educational experience for high school pupils and teachers that fosters a more civil society where diversity is embraced, injustice is spoken out against, and all people are treated with dignity and respect”.
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION
February 2012: Authored by Assemblymember Jerry Hill, the California State Assembly presented Minnijean Brown-Trickey (Little Rock Nine) with a Resolution honoring her heroism during the Civil Rights Movement and her years of work with Sojourn to the Past as anti-racism and direct action workshop facilitator.
RECIPIENT OF THE PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES 2011 NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES YOUTH PROGRAM AWARD (NAHYPA)
Jeff Steinberg (Founder and Director) and Andrea Gonzales (Student Representative) with First Lady Michelle Obama
The nation’s highest honor for after-school and out-of-school programs devoted to achieving positive outcomes for youth by engaging them in the arts and humanities was presented to Sojourn to the Past by First Lady Michelle Obama in a formal ceremony in the East Room at the White House on November 2, 2011. The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is administered by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Sojourn to the Past was selected from a field of nearly 500 nominations submitted from throughout the country as one of twelve recipients of the Award and the only winner from California.
Click here for Invitation to DC Reception Honoring Sojourn hosted by Silicon Valley Community Foundation
and California Hospital Association
Click here for NAHYPA Dear Colleague Letter from US Congress
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION CARTER G. WOODSON (Father of Black History) MEMORIAL AWARD
February 2011: The National Education Association (NEA) announced the selection of Sojourn founder Jeff Steinberg with the Award which was presented at its annual ceremony in July 2011 in Chicago. The Award recognizes an individual whose exemplary accomplishments have made a significant impact on education and the achievement of equal opportunity.
Click here for NEA news release
Click here for youtube video “NEA’s Carter G. Woodson Award goes to Jeff Steinberg”
UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION H.Res. 1058
July 2010: The United States Congress voted unanimously in the House to honor and praise Sojourn to the Past. Click here to listen to Floor speeches by Congressman Jared Polis (CO), Congressman Tom Petri (WI), and Congressman John Lewis (GA) commemorating 10 years of service as the longest running civil rights education and outreach program for youth in the country.
Click here to view content of Congressional Recognition
PBS
The Public Broadcasting System, one of Sojourn to the Past’s Community Partners, named Sojourn as a collaborating partner on its American Experience Freedom Riders project in the area of curriculum (2010).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD
Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) established the Excellence in Education Awards to recognize and raise awareness of teachers, parents, businesses, and organizations that are working to make positive changes in education.
RESOLUTION FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE
August 2009: Resolution commending the outstanding accomplishments of Sojourn to the Past authored by Assemblymember Jerry Hill and co-signed by then Speaker of the Assembly, Karen Bass, now a US Congresswoman.
Click here for photo of presentation
THE JEFFERSON AWARD
The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. They are presented on two levels: national and local. They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities.
