2025
Together with well over 200 guests, on June 23, 2025 we celebrated the Honorable Jonathan Lippman and Bryan Stevenson with our namesake award, given proudly to those who “exemplify an outstanding commitment to promoting human development and peace”. This year’s Faith Justice Hero Award also went to two extremely deserving individuals: Naji and Dr. Debbie Almontaser.
Thank you for all who joined us, in particular our Silver and Bronze Sponsors. It is your support that affords ICNY the privilege of preventing prejudice, misunderstanding, and violence across all five boroughs.
ICNY is also grateful to Rev. Al Sharpton and Stanley Richards of the Fortune Society for helping to introduce our honorees, and grateful, too, to the Hon. Edwina G. Richardson for her warm remarks. Thank you, too, to our Board Co-Chairs the Rev. Frederick A. Davie and Ruth Messinger, and to our prayer givers ICNY ICLA Fellow Tandeep Kaur Sawhney, Founder and Executive Director of Asees Foundation, Inc., the Venerable You Lin, Director of the Fo Guang Shan New York Temple, and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Co-Founder of New York Jewish Agenda, ICNY Board Member, and herself a 2024 James Parks Morton Interfaith Awardee. The evening culminated with a closing blessing from the Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, 17th bishop of New York.
The award presentations and acceptance speeches are available on our YouTube channel here, and we invite you to enjoy the event images from Carolina Kroon and step and repeat images from Harold Levine in the carousels below (coming soon). Looking to download and share one of the step and repeat photos? Head to this link and please be sure to tag ICNY on social media (InterfaithCenterNY) as well as the photographer (Harold Levine on FB, HSLinNYC in other media).
2024
2024 Gala Highlights Photos:
(Photos by @CarolinaKroon – for personal use only)
2024 Gala Attendee Arrivals:
(Photos by Gabriella Bass – for personal use only)
2023
The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) was proud to present the 2023 James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards in front of a vibrant audience of almost 240 guests at the Tribeca Rooftop venue in downtown Manhattan on June 26, 2023. This year’s James Parks Morton Interfaith Award honorees were Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah; Dr. Uma Mysorekar, F.A.C.O.G., President of the Hindu Temple Society of North America; and Director Joshua Seftel and the creative team behind the Academy Award nominee documentary short Stranger at the Gate (special thanks to Bibi Bahrami and Richard A. McKinney, the films subjects and stars, for traveling to be with us that evening). We also proudly honored Faith Justice Heroes Adama Bah and Imam Omar Niass for being on the front line of faith leaders and activists welcoming our newest New Yorkers.
The evening’s spoken program was prefaced by group prayers delivered by: Jonathan Ammons, Associate Director Of Public And International Affairs at The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints – and recent ICNY ICLA graduate; Rabbi Hilly Haber, Director Of Social Justice Organizing And Education at Central Synagogue; and Rev. James A. Lynch, Vice President Of The Buddhist Council Of New York.
Many thanks to our award presenters ICNY Board Member Rev. Frederick A. Davie, ICNY Board Member Dr. Kusumita P. Pedersen, and Zeyba Rahman, Director of the Building Bridges Program at the Doris Duke Foundation. Thanks to the St. Philips Church Choir for their inspired performance, and to ICNY Board Members and Gala Co-Chairs Rev. Frederick A. Davie and Ruth Mesinger for their remarks, and to The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, Bishop of New York, who gave the closing blessing.
2023 Gala Highlights Photos:
(Photos by @CarolinaKroon – for personal use only)
2023 Gala Attendee Arrivals:
(Photos by Gabriele Gorden of Gabriele Gorden Photo – for personal use only)
James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards Gala Attendees
2022
The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) was proud to have presented the 2022 James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards Gala. While this gala occurs annually, last year we were delighted to celebrate 25 years of ICNY.
We would like to thank all of those who supported us until now and whose continued support will propel us into our next quarter century as a New York based non-profit.
The program was prefaced by group prayers delivered by: Vijah Ramjattan (2021 Interfaith Civic Leadership Academy Fellow & founder of the United Madrassi Association), Danielle Williams (2022 ICLA Fellow & Community Educator with CONNECT Faith NYC) and Hanadi Doleh (Director of Community Partnerships, Interfaith Center of New York).
At this year’s gala we had the pleasure of honoring Civil Rights Activist Ruby Bridges and Human Rights champion Amed Khan, as well as Civic Leader and former ICNY staff member Dr. Sarah Sayeed who was the recipient of our #FaithJusticeHero award.
Amed Khan’s award was presented by Ruth Messinger (ICNY Board of Directors & Global Ambassador, American Jewish World Service), and Ruby Bridges’ award was presented by the Hon. Edwina G. Richardson-Mendelson (Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives, NYC Unified Court System). Faith Justice Hero Awardee Dr. Sarah Sayeed was presented her award by Det. Mohamad Amen (NYPD Muslim Officers Association & 2022 Interfaith Civic Leadership Academy Fellow).
The closing blessing of the program was given by Professor Ephraim Isaac (Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies at Princeton).
2021
Click play to watch our 2021 Gala.
2020
Click play to watch our 2020 Gala.
2019
Click the side arrows to view our Gala 2019 slideshow
Click here to watch videos from ICNY’s Gala 2019
2018
“What an Evening!” — a reflection on #ICNYgala2018 from The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer
As the week comes to a close, The Interfaith Center of New York wishes to thank everyone who made Monday evening’s #ICNYgala2018 so meaningful to the Interfaith Center and to our guests.
Thank you to our generous sponsors, ticket holders, and guests, our talented Emcee Mark Mitton, prayer givers Pratima Doobay of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, Ruth Messinger, American Jewish World Service and ICNY Board Member, and The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and ICNY Board Member; Zuhair Hussaini, who beautifully offered the Iftar call to prayer at sundown, our award presenters Carol Bellamy, and Brigid McGinn of Gays Against Guns, speakers Naureen Akhter and NYPD Lieutenant Rafet Awad, and Philippe Petit, who helped raise additional funds for our work thanks to the generosity of Honoree Mary Jane Brock.
Speaking of honorees, three cheers to this year’s JPM Interfaith Award winners Mary Jane Brock, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Parkland student activists Ryan Deitsch and Chris Grady of #MarchForOurLives, who each beautifully shared from the stage their passion for peace and diversity.
Images from the gala will be available on our website early next week, and in the meantime we invite you to click here for highlights or here to browse all of the photos from photographer Carolina Kroon.
To watch Lieutenant Awad of the NYPD talk to the audience about the benefits of ICNY’s cultural diversity training video “Policing in Today’s Multi-Faith New York,” click here.
Thank you again to those who support our work to end prejudice, violence, and misunderstanding. To learn more about the work that you and this annual event help make possible, please visit https://interfaithcenter.org and consider making a gift today.
Click here to watch videos from ICNY’s Gala 2018
