Dr. Mia Williams, principal at Aki Kurose Middle School, recently received one of the National Education Association’s most prestigious human and civil rights awards.
The NEA presented the Mary Hatwood Futrell Human and Civil Rights Award to Dr. Williams at the organization’s annual Human and Civil Rights Awards ceremony held last week in Houston, Texas.
Last year, the recipient of the Mary Hatwood Futrell Human and Civil Rights Award was former First Lady Michelle Obama.
In its press announcement about the awards, the NEA cited Dr. Williams “for her work as a school and institutional leader to make sure girls and young women are learning in an educational system that values their voice at the highest levels.”
“She is an advocate for eliminating barriers and creating formal support networks for women,” read the announcement. “As a school administrator she has led intentional efforts to grow and strengthen mentorship programs such as My Sister’s Keeper and Hermana Unidas within the school and the surrounding community to support young women scholars gain access to equitable education opportunities.”
Dr. Williams is one of just 12 recipients who received an award at the event.
“The recipients of the 2019 NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards are social justice champions, forging paths for opportunities for every student in every school no matter their ZIP code, and standing up against injustices everywhere,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “We
proudly honor their contributions and sacrifices. By embodying what is right and just about the world in which we live, they motivate us to purposeful and principled action.”
Dr. Williams was honored in 2016 as the Washington State Middle-Level Principal of the Year by the Association of Washington School Principals.
