Women of Color at Penn (WOCAP) hosted their 35th annual award ceremony on March 18, 2022 with a virtual celebration. WOCAP is based in the African American Resource Center (AARC). This year’s theme was empowering women of color in business. The organization created a resource booklet, business directory, and a series of financial literacy workshops.

The Helen O. Dickens Lifetime Achievement Award 

Isabel Sampson-Mapp was honored with the Helen O. Dickens Lifetime Achievement Award for her 35 years of leadership and service. As associate director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and director of Penn Volunteers in Public Service, Ms. Sampson-Mapp has used her position to give back to the community. She never imagined being honored for her work, she said. It simply felt important, and she hoped it would make a difference to others. “I want to thank those people who so kindly gave, and those people who so graciously received, and those people who gave me the space, the time, and the freedom to do good,” Ms. Sampson-Mapp said.

Joann Mitchell Legacy Award

Pamela A. Robinson, former associate director of College Houses and Academic Services, received the Joann Mitchell Legacy Award for her work to improve the lives of women and people of color at Penn. Ms. Robinson quoted one of her favorite gospel songs, saying: “We don’t feel no ways tired. We’ve come too far from where we started from. Nobody told us the road would be easy.”

Undergraduate Student Award

Junior Nicole Harrington grew up in Philadelphia. She is currently taking an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course through the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, which “has just absolutely been transformed my college experience,” she said. Within the course, Ms. Harrington and her classmates are mentoring local high school students, discussing social injustice in Philadelphia, and proposing solutions. “Being of service physically and intellectually has helped me mitigate those feelings of inadequacy,” she said. “This class made the connection for me that learning and action go hand in hand.”

Graduate Student Award

Shaquilla Harrigan, from Winder, Georgia, is a PhD candidate in sociology and was a 2019-2020 Perry World House Graduate Associate. Ms. Harrigan, who serves as chair of the Graduate Sociology Society and volunteers with an organization for African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees, hopes to collaborate with others in the Penn community to work for justice. “It’s really an honor to do this at Penn and to be in Philadelphia, considering the legacy of W.E.B. DuBois and so many other Black activists in this area,” she said. “I hope to carry on their legacy.”

Staff Award

Karima A. Williams, associate director of human resources at the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), has served on the WOCAP planning committee since 2013. She was honored for work to include and expand the participation of women of color. Ms. Williams was grateful for the collaboration at SP2 to create more opportunities, as seen in “the hiring of more women of color into new faculty roles this year,” she said, along with the expansion of SP2’s financial aid program, which help make the school “an attainable option for students of color and underrepresented populations.”

Community Award

Margaret Livingston is president of the Walnut Hill Community Association and a board member of the University City District. “Walnut Hill Community Association, along with my dedicated board, will continue to work diligently on providing information and opportunities to all,” Ms. Livingston said. “We must continue to fight for inclusion and justice for all,” she said. “I will continue advocating that it takes a village.”

Ms. Livingston has made the Walnut Hill neighborhood home, raising her children on the same block where she grew up. “Families can make good strong communities,” she said. “I wanted to ensure that my community—and beyond—would always be informed about any opportunities to live in safety and have walkable green spaces, information on affordable housing, quality education in our area, and information on proper healthcare, as a way to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”