Generosity and Gender Justice Initiative to Launch Following Awards Ceremony

NEW YORK, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Auburn Theological Seminary's 15th annual Lives of Commitment Breakfast will be held on Friday, May 6, 2011, from 7:00-10:30 a.m. at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The breakfast will honor and celebrate six women across faiths whose bold leadership bridges religious divides, builds community, and pursues justice. During its 15-year history, Auburn's Lives of Commitment Breakfast has honored 48 extraordinary women, including Alice Walker, Ruth Messinger, Zainab Salbi and Jane Goodall, whose lives represent a powerful commitment to the common good.

The 2011 Lives of Commitment honorees are: Kayrita Anderson and Deborah Richardson, leaders of A Future. Not a Past., a nationwide campaign to end sex trafficking; Bishop Minerva Carcano, the first Hispanic woman to become bishop in the United Methodist Church and the Council of Bishops' official spokesperson on immigration; Jensine Larsen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Pulse, a global media platform that brings women's voices out of the shadows and on to the world stage; Gail T. Reimer, Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Archive, devoted to uncover, chronicle, and transmit to a broad public the rich history of American Jewish women; and Chely Wright, the first openly gay country singer and founder of LIKE ME, a nonprofit that provides assistance, resources, and education to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and their families and friends.

This year's honorees underscore Auburn's commitment to equip bold and resilient leaders to face the challenges of our complex time. Through its Women's Multifaith Education program, Auburn serves women leaders and helps them to translate their courage into concrete action.

"These are challenging times in which leaders must take risks to speak and act boldly," says The Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson, President of Auburn. "Our honorees lead lives of determination for social change across the country and around the world. They make meaningful impact in people's lives by elevating the most important social issues of our time, from immigration reform to the role of women in global media, from fighting domestic sex exploitation to creating safe spaces for LGBT individuals."

Following the celebration, Auburn will preview its new Generosity and Gender Justice initiative, which engages the contributions and capacities that women of faith bring to the larger social justice movement. Lisa Anderson, Director of Women's Multifaith Education at Auburn, will lead a discussion with the honorees. Kathy LeMay, activist, founder and CEO of Raising Change, will moderate.

Lives of Commitment 2011 Honorees

Kayrita Anderson and Deborah Richardson are the leaders of A Future. Not a Past., a nationwide campaign to end sex trafficking, and to protect and inspire hope in the survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. A Future. Not a Past. is affiliated with the Women's Funding Network.

Bishop Minerva Carcano is the first Hispanic woman to become a bishop of The United Methodist Church. She is the official spokesperson for the Council of Bishops on the issue of immigration. She currently serves as Bishop of the Phoenix Episcopal Area, Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Jensine Larsen is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Pulse, an online media platform  founded in 2004, to unleash the creative human potential of women across the globe through the power of media.

Gail T. Reimer is Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Archive, a pioneering organization dedicated to uncovering, chronicling, and transmitting the rich legacy of Jewish women in North America. In the early 1990s, Reimer conceived and co-edited two path-breaking anthologies of Jewish women's writings—Reading Ruth: Women Reclaim a Sacred Story and Beginning Anew: A Woman's Companion to the High Holy Days.

Chely Wright is the first openly gay female country music star. In 2010, Wright published her memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer and released the critically-acclaimed album, Lifted off the Ground. She established the nonprofit organization Like Me, which provides scholarships, assistance, resources, and education to LGBT individuals, their families, and friends; and joined forces with GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network as spokesperson for its Safe Space Campaign. 

The Fifteenth Annual Lives of Commitment Co-Chairs are:

Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl
The Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, Honorary Co-Chair
Barbara B. Dobkin
Katherine L. Dolan
Leah Hunt-Hendrix
Kanyere Eaton
Kathy LeMay
Mahsa Pelosky
Susan Reed
Fatima Shama
Nancy Schwartz Sternoff
Nicki Newman Tanner
Alexie Torres-Flemming
Melinda Wolfe

When& Where: May 6, 2011

7:00-9:00 a.m. Lives of Commitment Breakfast

9:00-10:30 a.m. Launch of the new Generosity and Gender Justice Initiative

Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street, New York, NY

Auburn Theological Seminary is an institute for religious leadership that faces the challenges of our fragmented, complex, and violent time. Auburn equips bold and resilient leaders—both religious and secular—with the tools and resources they need for our multifaith society. We provide them with education, research, support, and media savvy, so that they can bridge religious divides, build community, pursue justice, and heal the world. 

SOURCE Auburn Theological Seminary