Women’s Hall of Fame honors new group of trailblazers
On Sunday, six women will be inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame. Each of the inductees is impressive in her own trailblazing way, but they are all cut from the same indestructible cloth.
They take care of business, and their business is us.
“The changes they have made are incremental over time. They aren’t necessarily big, ‘whoosh’ things,” said Felicia Shaw, executive director of the Women’s Museum of California, the San Diego organization that is home to the Women’s Hall of Fame.
“These women are showing up every day and speaking out and speaking up in ways that you can’t always see because it isn’t showy. But when you add it up day after day, that’s when you see that their real commitment is to community, not to self.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame will be celebrating its 20th anniversary over Zoom. But while the induction ceremony won’t be happening in person, the inductees’ achievements touch every part of San Diego life.
The honorees were chosen by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee from hundreds of nominations submitted by the public. More than 100 women
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have been honored since the debut Hall of Fame event in 2001, and like the inductees before them, each of the women will be honored in a category that represents the the values that the Hall of Fame was built on: empowerment, activism, trailblazing, bridge-building and history-keeping.
There is also the Spirit of the Hall of Fame Award, a newer award that recognizes women whose accomplishments have made them iconic figures in San Diego.
The centerpiece of Sunday’s induction ceremony is the collection of biographical videos dedicated to the lives and achievements of the inductees. The spotlight is on the women of the hour, but there will be plenty of inspiration to go around.
“The thing I love about the Hall of Fame is that the ceremony is very simple,” said educator and entrepreneur Starla Lewis, a 2015 inductee who is once again co-hosting the ceremony with attorney Jerrilyn Malana. “The audience gets to hear about everyone’s journeys, and I think it is very inspiring to see how these women are living their lives with such purpose. We are all connected and we are all out there serving one another.”
The women being inducted into the San Diego County Hall of Fame on Sunday are:
Susan Jester
The lesbian activist is
being honored in the Empowerer category for her early support of the gay men’s community during the AIDS epidemic, including helping to produce San Diego’s first AIDS Walk. She currently serves on the San Diego County Sheriff ’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council and the San Diego Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission.
Geneviéve Jones-Wright
The lawyer and socialjustice advocate is being inducted in the Activist category for her work to achieve racial justice, greater police accountability and fair treatment for the disenfranchised. Jones-Wright is the executive director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance and a member of the city’s Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention.
Judge Randa Trapp
The third Black woman to be appointed to San Diego County’s bench, Judge Trapp is being honored in the Trailblazer category for her 18 years as a San Diego Superior Court judge and her high profile within the community. Judge Trapp is a past regional director of the California Women Lawyers, and she was the local president of the NAACP from 1996 to 2000.
Margaret Iwanaga Penrose
The president and CEO of the Union of Pan Asian Communities is being honored as a Cultural Bridge Builder for her 40-plus years of working on behalf of San Diego’s many ethnic communities.
Penrose has served on San Diego Association of Nonprofits. Her awards include the Catfish Club’s Vision and Courage Award.
Rosalie Schwartz
The author and researcher is being honored in the Historian category for her writings and research on topics ranging from Latin American history to the Prohibition era. She has been a history professor at several California universities and is an American Historical Association fellow. Her books include “Flying Down to Rio” and “Pleasure Island: Tourism and Temptation in Cuba.”
Niki de Saint Phalle
The late sculptor is this year’s Spirit of the Hall of Fame inductee for the artistic exuberance reflected in such signature San Diego works as UC San Diego’s “Sun God” and Queen Califia’s Magical Circle in Escondido The Paris-born de Saint Phalle moved to La Jolla in 1993. She passed away in 2002.
The 20th annual San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on Zoom. Admission is “pay what you can,” with a suggested donation of $25. All funds raised from ticket sales will be donated to the Women’s Museum of California. Go to sandiegowomenshalloffame.com/event for information.