Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Miski Abdulle’s dedicated service to immigrant women and the greater community was brought to center stage with the awarding of the 2015 Courageous Woman Award, an annual honor presented through the Augsburg College Women’s Resource Center.
The Courageous Woman Awards acknowledge and recognize women who see injustice or need, act on it, take risks in order to do the right thing, and raise their voices to champion women. Throughout her 17 years of service to Pillsbury United Communities, Abdulle has done all of that and more in various roles within the agency and her current status as Program Manager at the Immigrant Women Advocacy Program at the Brian Coyle Community Center.
“Miski is a visible leader with great passion, high integrity, and empathy,” commented Amano Dube, Brian Coyle Community Center Director. “She has deep understanding of the communities we serve and the issues that are at stake,” added Dube.
Abdulle has led efforts to assist women with a wide range of services and resources that include housing, daycare, employment support, food support, legal advocacy, issues of domestic abuse and crisis intervention. A highlight of the program is the annual Cedar Riverside Women’s Night Out event that attracts over 350 women and their children for dinner, music, a fashion show and more.
The award was presented in conjunction with Augsburg College’s annual Koryene Horbel Lecture held in the Hoversten Chapel on Tuesday, March 3. The keynote address was delivered by nationally recognized author and thought leader on Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Janell Hobson, PhD, an associate professor at University of Albany, State University of New York. The event attracted an estimated 150 scholars, students and community leaders.
Founded in 2011 by Friends of the Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center at Augsburg College, the Courageous Woman Awards program recognizes women who courageously strive for social justice and peace on the Augsburg campus or in the wider community and whose efforts, be they are small or large, make a difference to women. Augsburg College student Dua Saleh, who serves President of the Augsburg Pan-Afrikan Student Union was also recognized with the award