April 29, 2026
Ms. Foundation for Women Honors Tarana Burke, Blair Imani, Fatima Goss Graves, Pua Case, The Girl Scouts of the United States of America, and Patricia Russo
This year’s Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Community: Go. Be. Do., featured the announcement of new President & CEO Tracy Sturdivant, and raised over $270,000 to support the Foundation’s advocacy, grantmaking and capacity-building work
PHOTOS: HERE
Credit: Getty Images for Ms. Foundation for Women
NEW YORK, NY, April 30, 2025 – Last night, Ms. Foundation for Women, the nation’s oldest women’s foundation, hosted its annual Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Community: Go. Be. Do. This year’s event celebrated the Ms. Foundation’s work and legacy with changemaking honorees who exemplify the core mission, vision, and values of Ms. Foundation, and are driving change across politics, media, and more to advance equity and justice for all.
The evening honored activist, advocate, and author, Tarana Burke and author, historian, and the creator of Smarter in Seconds, Blair Imani, as well as grantee partners Fatima Goss Graves, President & CEO of the National Women’s Law Center and Pua Case, Lead Coordinator and Project Director for Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. The event also honored Patricia Russo with the first-ever Teresa C. Younger Award and featured a musical performance from MILCK. The event was co-hosted by Danielle Moodie, host of iHeart’s #WokeAF Daily, co-host of the Daily Beast’s The New Abnormal ad #democracyish, and Ms. Foundation Board Member. DJ Mary Mac also performed a special after-party set following the awards ceremony.
The annual gala honored 13 years of Ms. Foundation President & CEO Teresa C. Younger’s work and legacy stewarding the organization. Last October, she announced that she would be stepping down this June in order to make room for the next generation of leadership.
In her opening remarks, Younger said, “In the past 13 years we had 712 new grantee partners and expanded our capacity-building program. We, with all of you, have smoothed the paths [for women and gender-expansive people] by intentionally creating a gender-inclusive stance. We support women and girls of color as a point of inclusion, not exclusion.”
In a surprise announcement at the end of the gala, the Foundation’s board leadership presented its next leader — Tracy Sturdivant, founder and CEO of The League. Sturdivant will become the 10th President and CEO of the over-50-year-old women’s foundation.
Sturdivant said, “I believe all women deserve the chance to go, to be, and to do. Every woman. Every background. Every identity. The girl in my hometown of Detroit and the girl in Shreveport, LA. The daughter of immigrants and the daughter who is indigenous. Our white women allies, our LGBTQIA+ sisters, women across every line this country has used to try to divide us. We are the backbone of the feminist movement. Its engine. Its moral center. And we have work to do, together.”
The Women of Vision Awards is Ms. Foundation’s largest annual fundraising event, honoring feminist advocates, activists, and thought leaders who ignite policy and drive progress. Since its inception, Ms. Foundation has invested more than $100 million to support over 1,600 organizations across the country and strengthen the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change for all.
Below, please see highlights from the night and key quotes from the evening’s speakers.
HIGHLIGHT: Tarana Burke, Woman of Vision Award Recipient
Activist, advocate, and author Tarana Burke, Founder & Chief Vision Officer of me too. International, was honored for her 25 years of survivor-centered leadership in the movement to end sexual violence.
QUOTE: Tarana Burke said, “This room, more than most, knows that we are in a moment that demands something from each and every one of us. Across this country, the systems that were never fully built to protect us are being dismantled in real time… But this room is anything but quiet. This room knows what the work looks like.”
HIGHLIGHT: Fatima Goss Graves, Women of Vision Award Recipient
Grantee partner, Fatima Goss Graves, President & CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, was honored for her work with a national advocacy organization advancing gender justice through litigation, policy, and cultural change.
QUOTE: Fatima Goss Graves said, “In the long days ahead, we will continue to fight for gender justice—in no small part thanks to the Ms. Foundation and I hope all of you. It will be hard. There will be days that you feel scared. But you will not give up. Because we will not give up. The fingerprints we leave will be sources of hope. Each one will subtly signal the way forward, showing people everywhere that a better future is possible.”
HIGHLIGHT: Pua Case, Women of Vision Award Recipient
Grantee Partner, Pua Case, Lead Coordinator and Project Director for Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, was honored for her work with the Native Hawaiian–led organization dedicated to protecting Mauna Kea and preserving Indigenous culture through education and advocacy.
QUOTE: Hāwane Rios, accepting on her mother Pua Case’s behalf, said, “ [We come from a long line of] women of aloha ʻāina, who continued to show up and speak up for what is pono, for what is correct, just, and true, so that we would know how to stand strong like a mountain. My mother is a beautiful reflection of their legacy.”
HIGHLIGHT: Blair Imani, Marie C. Wilson Award Recipient
Named in honor of Ms. Foundation Honorary Co-Founding Mother and former President and CEO Marie C. Wilson, this award recognizes trailblazing leaders who uphold her legacy of advancing gender equity and inclusion, and are paving the way for generations to come. Blair Imani, an author, historian, and the creator of Smarter in Seconds, was honored for her work making complex social justice conversations accessible to students, readers, and online audiences, and affirming the power of education as a tool for collective liberation
QUOTE: Blair Imani said, “I tell my audience: Go out into the world. Be the change you want to see. Do what really matters for you and the people you care about. Even in this challenging moment we can choose to defy what is prescribed for us, whether it’s what you do for a living; if you want to be a parent or not; if you want to wear a headscarf, or let your braids fly free.”
HIGHLIGHT: Patricia Russo, Teresa C. Younger Award Recipient
This award honors a feminist champion whose most enduring quality is the leadership she cultivates in others. Executive Director of the Campaign School at Yale, Patti Russo, was honored for her leadership program cultivating the next generation of political leaders.
QUOTE: Patricia Russo said, “When Teresa started at Ms., she could see something many of us couldn’t even imagine. Her vision was so far-reaching and her success has been monumental. Her success is our success. What an honor it is to be part of her legacy.”
HIGHLIGHT: Girl Scouts of USA, Free To Be You and Me Award
This award honors young activists enacting change and leading the way for future generations. GSUSA was honored for their work creating space and community for young women and girls. Three current Girl Scouts accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
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For more than 50 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has shaped women’s philanthropy in the United States, providing a blueprint for the establishment of hundreds of local and regional women’s funds, influencing mainstream culture through nationwide projects and campaigns, and making grants totaling over $100 million to more than 1,600 grassroots organizations across the country. Through research, advocacy, and grantmaking, the Ms. Foundation is the national model for sustainable, trust-based philanthropic support of women of color-led movements. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, the Ms. Foundation works to create a world in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.
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