Contact: Ellen Greeley
Ellen@interfaithcenter.org 212-870-3511
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
May 27, 2015
THE INTERFAITH CENTER OF NEW YORK CELEBRATES THE
13TH ANNUAL JAMES PARKS MORTON INTERFAITH AWARDS
HONORING
BOB ABERNETHY
REVEREND JESSE L. JACKSON, SR.
JAMES VENTURI
HOSTED BY DEAN OBEIDALLAH
MONDAY, JUNE 8 – TRIBECA ROOFTOP
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On Monday evening, June 8, THE INTERFAITH CENTER OF NEW YORK (ICNY) will celebrate its annual tradition of honoring individuals at ICNY’s 13th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards Dinner. This year’s event will honor:
Bob Abernethy-—Founder, Executive Editor, & Host, PBS’ Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.—Founder and President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
James Venturi-—Innovator, Documentary Filmmaker, & Urban Planner
The evening’s festivities will be hosted by The Dean of Comedy Dean Obeidallah.
Bob Abernethy will receive the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award for his keen awareness of religion as a major and growing component of daily national and international stories and for creating and broadcasting a news program which captures the imagery and makes religion and ethics relevant to a viewing audience.
The Very Rev. James Park Morton will pay tribute to his fellow colleague the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. for his lifetime leadership as a civil and human rights activist and his present day efforts to promote progressive policies which improve the economic and the just treatment of the under-resourced and under-served including people of color. Rev. Jackson and Dean Morton date back to the civil rights movement when Rev. Jackson participated in the Urban Training Center for Christian Missions, an ecumenical training program for religious professionals in inner city Chicago, established by Dean Morton. Due to previous commitments, Rev. Jackson’s acceptance will be by pre-recorded videotaped message.
James Venturi, son of renowned architects and urban planners, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, will be the first recipient of the James Parks Morton Promise for the Future Award. The new award recognizes visionaries who, early in their careers, are in the process of bringing their innovative ideas to fruition for the good of humanity. Venturi, the originator of ReThinkNYC, plans to unify NYC through modernizing and expanding La Guardia Airport by closing Rikers Island, connecting the regional rail network and creating a new economic center in Western Queens.
Best known for dispelling negative stereotypes of Arab-Americans and Muslims through comedy, Dean Obeidallah will humor guests and provide thought-provoking commentary on today’s issues. Selected cast members Theo Harris, Phyllis Harris, and Greg Kelly of Vy Higgenson’s Alive 55+ and Kickin will entertain guests with songs about overcoming their challenges and fulfilling their dreams. Videos of honorees, produced by Sean McGinn and Lea Sheloush, will also be presented.
Interfaith Awards have been given to 46 distinguished recipients. A partial list includes former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, James Carroll, Wynton Marsalis, Alan Slifka, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate), Nina & Daniel Libeskind, Shirin Ebadi (2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate),Peter Zimroth, Gaetana Enders, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, Philippe Petit, Santiago & Robertina Calatrava, Richard Gere, Amma, Imam Feisal Rauf, Nicholas D. Kristof, Paul Winter, The Hon. Stephen Breyer, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei (2005 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate), Carl Sagan, Steven C. Rockefeller, Rev. Kyotaro DeGuchi, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Rabbi Awraham Soetendor, His Holiness Sri Swami Satchiadananda, Leymah Gbowee (2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate), Abigail E. Disney, and Bill and Judith Moyers.
The Interfaith Center of New York, founded in 1997, is a secular educational non-profit organization which seeks to make New York City and the world safe for religious differences by increasing respect and mutual understanding among people of different faiths, ethnic and cultural traditions and by fostering cooperation among religious communities and civic organizations to solve common social problems.
The James Parks Morton Interfaith Award is named for ICNY’s founder and Chair Emeritus, The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, who served as Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for 25 years and today remains as an active ICNY Board member. As a visionary Episcopal spiritual leader, he created a thriving creative community where cutting-edge cultural, ecological and social justice programs were incubated and successfully implemented.
The Rev. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, joined ICNY in 2007. The Rev. Breyer is an Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of New York and serves as Associate Priest at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Central Harlem. Chloe is the author of The Close: A Young Woman’s First Year at Seminary (Basic Books 2000) with chapter contributions to What Can One Person Do? Faith to Heal a Broken World (Church Publishing 205) and Challenging the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel (Beacon Press 2006).
The 13th Annual Interfaith Awards Dinner will be held on Monday, June 8 at Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses Street, at the intersection of Hudson and Canal Streets. The gala includes cocktail hour at 6:30 PM followed by dinner, award ceremony and entertainment at 7:30 PM. Semi-formal or traditional dress. Individual tickets are available from $275 to $1,000. For tickets please contact Ellen Greeley at ellen@interfaithcenter.org, log on to www.interfaithcenter.org or call 212-870-3511 for further information.
