Community heroines up for 100 Black Women honors

The local chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women hosts an annual award ceremony to recognize women of color who are unsung heroes in the city, and as a way to inspire the young girls who follow in their footsteps.

Each year the Black Pioneer Women of Excellence Awards ceremony honors women over age 65. Carolyn Jones, chairwoman of the Community Involvement Committee that organizes the event, said the Chattanooga chapter chooses to honor older women because they are not as frequently recognized for the marks they make in their communities.

“A lot of organizations represent and honor the younger people,” Jones said. “And we really want to recognize the seasoned people.”

The women of distinction who will be recognized this year are Fannie Hewlett, Charlie Mae Scruggs Hurt and Beverly Pasley Johnson.

Hewlett began her career at Chattanooga State Technical Community College in 1979 as an instructor in behavioral sciences. In 2011 she was named provost and vice president. She retired from that role and was named provost emeritus in June 2014. She now is serving as interim president at Chattanooga State.

Johnson was the first female administrator of Chattanooga’s Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development. Before that mayoral appointment, she worked in the Public Works Department. She was the first woman and the first black to serve as deputy commissioner of development and administration.

Hurt will be recognized as a long-serving educator with Chattanooga Public Schools. She graduated from the Howard School and has a master’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She spent most of her 31-year teaching career at Riverside and Howard high schools. Hurt also is being recognized for more than 50 years of community advocacy through a variety of roles — most notably the preservation and remodeling of the Glenwood Recreation Center and the creation of the permanent greenspace in the community known as Jewel Park.

Jones said each of these women has stood out in their specific area of service and deserve all the recognition they can get.

“It’s absolutely marvelous the women who have been recognized over the years,” she said. “It’s definitely inspirational.”

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi. anderson@timesfreepress. com or at 423-757-6592.