On November 7, 2007, Caroline Kennedy presented the annual John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards to Jay Williams, the youngest and the first African-American Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, and to Zainab Salbi, an Iraqi native and American citizen who founded Women for Women International, a non-profit organization that mobilizes women worldwide to reach out and help women survivors of war.
Williams and Salbi were honored at a luncheon ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
The John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards were created by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government to honor Americans under the age of 40 who are changing their communities, the country and the world with their commitment to public service. The awards are presented annually to two exceptional individuals whose contributions in elective office, and non-elective community service or advocacy demonstrate the impact and the value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy.
The New Frontier Awards are named after President Kennedy’s bold challenge to Americans given in his acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention on July 15, 1960, in which he said, “the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises – it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them.”
One of the New Frontier Awards honors an elected official whose work demonstrates the importance of elective service as a way to address a public challenge or challenges. This award, called the Fenn Award, is presented to a young elected official in honor of Dan Fenn, the Kennedy Library’s first director and a former member of President Kennedy’s staff. The other New Frontier Award honors an individual whose contributions in the realm of community service, advocacy or grassroots activism have had a positive impact on a broad public policy issue or challenge.
Jay Williams, Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio
Fenn Award Recipient
Jay Williams, 36, made history in November, 2005 when he became the youngest and the first African-American Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio. Once home to 180,000 residents, the population of Youngstown is now half that number, with abandoned homes, storefronts and factories that have stood empty since the once-thriving city lost most of its manufacturing and steel jobs in the 1970’s. Williams won a six-way race with more than 50% of the vote, on a platform that called for the city to acknowledge its diminishing population and poor economic health, and to improve its circumstances not by growing, but by shrinking. One of Williams’ first official acts as mayor was to funnel surplus funds toward demolition in the city. He has also increased city investment in economic development programs, and has worked to reduce crime by adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward offenders, developing close ties with law enforcement and community and religious leaders to increase education among Youngstown’s poor youth.
Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO,
Women for Women International
Zainab Salbi, 38, founded Women for Women International in 1993 to help women in war-torn regions restart their lives in ways that are independent, productive, and secure. The organization connects American women with women in war torn regions through a tiered sponsorship program that begins with direct financial and emotional support, and leads to greater awareness and understanding of women’s rights. To date, the organization has delivered $39 million in aid and microcredit loans to 120,000 women.
A native of Iraq who came to the United States at the age of 19, Salbi’s experience with the Iran-Iraq war sensitized her to the plight of women in wars around the world. She has written and spoken extensively on the use of rape and other forms of violence against women during war.
Eli Segal Tribute
The 2007 New Frontier Awards also featured a tribute to Eli Segal, who passed away in February of 2006. Mr. Segal was a public service pioneer and founding member of the New Frontier Award Committee. Mr. Segal also served on the Kennedy Library Foundation Board of Directors, and served as the founding director of AmeriCorps under President Clinton.
Past recipients of the New Frontier Awards include: Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council President; Jane Leu, Founder and Executive Director of Upwardly Global; Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General; Kica Matos, Deputy Mayor and Community Service Administrator, City of New Haven; Karen Carter, Louisiana State Representative; and Wendy Kopp, Founder and CEO of Teach for America.