Page 12 - BusinessWest August 31, 2020

Editorial
LInspiring Stories of Excellence
BusinessWest
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et’s face it — it’s been a long, hard year. And it’s only Schwartz and Fentin as well as a Springfield city councilor, has been September. a finalist for this award many times, and for good reason. He repre-
Indeed, the pandemic has made this not only one of the sents Ward 2, but he’s had a strong impact across the city, especially most trying times almost anyone can remember, but one of the during the COVID-19 pandemic.
most tiring, especially when it comes to the seemingly unending barrage of bad news that began back in the dead of winter. Bright spots have been few and far between.
Which brings us to BusinessWest’s Alumni Achievement Award (see stories starting on page 18). That’s the new name attached to a program started several years ago called the Continued Excellence Award. By whatever name it goes, this is an important honor, but one that often gets a little lost amid some of our other awards.
This one, sponsored this year and the past few years by Health New England, is presented to a Forty Under 40 winner who has continued to build upon their résumé professionally and perhaps within the community as well.
And this year’s class of five finalists provides a strong ray of light in a year that has been mostly dark. They are:
• Carla Cosenzi, president of TommyCar Auto Group, is also a winner of BusinessWest’s Difference Makers Award. Over the past several years, she has added dealerships to the company’s portfolio and many new lines to the list of nonprofit groups and causes she and the company support, especially Driving for the Cure, which raises money to battle brain cancer.
• Mike Fenton, an attorney with Springfield-based Shatz,
• Paul Kozub, founder and president of V-One Vodka, is the pure entrepreneur in this group, and a multiple winner of our awards, including Top Entrepreneur in 2016. We’ve followed his story from the very beginning, when his was a struggling brand trying to break out. Now it’s in several states, and is the official vodka of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• James Leahy, has a day job — with the Massachusetts State Lottery — and a city job, as an at-large city councilor in Holyoke who just celebrated two decades in that role. But his influence extends far beyond City Hall; indeed, he’s become actively involved in a number of Holyoke institutions.
• Peter DePergola is director of Clinical Ethics at Baystate Health. In a very short time, he has become not only a regional and state leader in the emerging field of bioethics, but a national and even international leader as well, particularly as he applies his expertise to the COVID-19 crisis.
The winner of the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award will be announced on October 8 at this year’s drive-in 40 Under Forty event at Mercedes Benz Springfield. But all of these individuals are win- ners. And, more importantly, the region is the winner for having them working, living, and making contributions inside the 413. u
Opinion ••••• ART DIRECTOR
A Century Later, an Ongoing Fight
TBy Suzanne Parker
his year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the
19th Amendment and women’s constitutional right to
vote. This historic moment provides an important oppor- tunity to emphasize that full gender equity requires racial justice and equity as well.
While the women’s suffrage movement benefited tremendously from the leadership of black women, it did not advance or include their right to vote. In fact, it took more than a half-century later for women of color to access the ballot with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The U.S. has a long history of denying its citizens the right to vote. Building a more equitable society means ensuring all people, regardless of race, gender, and socio-economic status, are able to participate in our political system. Many of our most heavily debat- ed issues — the economy, healthcare, education, and public safety — carry tremendous consequences for those most vulnerable and with the least amount of political power.
That’s why it’s so important for girls, particularly girls of color,
to be civically engaged as early as possible. Through our She Votes initiative, Girls Inc. helps girls realize the power of their voices, learn about the structure and role of the U.S. government, and even be inspired to run for elected office one day. Girls are innately power- ful and, with the right opportunities and support, can grow up to be leaders and change agents in the world.
Often overlooked in the pages of history, women of color have played an instrumental role in advancing civic engagement, voting rights, and social movements for centuries. From abolitionists like Sojourner Truth and Harriett Tubman to suffragettes and activists like Mary Church Terrell, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Ida B. Wells, black women bravely fought for the rights of women and men long before they themselves were seen as equal citizens under the law or had the right to vote. They endured racial prejudice, discrimina- tion, and even violence to advance justice and freedom for all. As educator and civil rights activist Nannie Helen Burroughs wrote, “to
struggle and battle and overcome and absolutely defeat every force designed against us is the only way to achieve.”
When the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed — making racial discrimination in voting illegal — it marked more than a century of work by black suffragists to secure voting rights for all people, which finally would include them. To this day, however, obstacles to voting still persist for black Americans and communities of color, including voter suppression, photo-ID requirements, early-voting cutbacks, under-resourced polls, and inadequate funding for elections.
Young people of color face additional barriers. Mail-in ballots, which many young people complete (as well as first-time voters and people of color), have been found to be rejected at a higher rate than in-person ballots, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Tougher voting rules, difficult absentee-ballot proce- dures, and irregular school and work schedules serve as additional obstacles to young people exercising their right to vote.
Increasing voter participation is critical for democracy. With Nov. 3 just two short months away, we must do everything we can to ensure safe, fair, and accessible elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many states have begun preparations to educate peo- ple about the health risks, make polling places as safe as possible, and also encourage voting by mail. We must also urge Congress
to appropriate emergency funding to support such efforts, as the funds provided in the CARES Act fall tremendously short of what is necessary.
Millions of eligible voters, many of them women and people of color, are not active in our political decision making — and we need them to be. During this year’s centennial celebration, we remember the women who paved the way for future female voters and politi- cal leaders, and the work that remains to ensure all girls and young people grow up in an equitable and just society. u
Suzanne Parker is executive director of Girls Inc. of the Valley; (413) 532-6247.
12 AUGUST 31, 2020
OPINION
BusinessWest