Annual Salute to Sisterhood honors Atlanta’s best

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Every year only a handful of female leaders are chosen.

Women who Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern has identified as pillars of the community are handpicked for their contributions to business, education, philanthropy, arts and media.

Senator Halpern is determined to make her annual “Salute to Sisterhood Honors” as respectable as the Emmys or the Oscars.

After all, Atlanta influences everything and Halpern’s awards luncheon is all about recognizing what’s best in Atlanta.

The quote “every girl and every woman, has the potential to make this world a better place” was placed before each honoree inside a downtown Atlanta restaurant.

The mood is intimate. The timing is perfect. March is Women’s History Month and also hosts International Women’s Day. Halpern says it’s the perfect opportunity to salute sisterhood and highlight some of the incredible women in Georgia. “The life-changing work they are doing — not just in the month of March, but every day, every month and every year,” Halpern said, adding “From Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights, to business, academia, arts, healthcare, and advocacy and beyond, women continue to contribute greatly to the advancement of our society in ways known and unknown as well as under acknowledged.”

Atlanta News First’s Shon Gables was among the honorees, awarded for her body of work in the field of media. Halpern praised Gables, “Congratulations and thank you for being an inspiring and dynamic woman.”

Halpern’s speech to the group also drew applause and a few tears. “Georgia, and, indeed the Nation are so fortunate to have you in our lives–to inspire us to create, to embolden us to expand our brains and our hearts and to show us how to take care of others by leading from the front. Thank you.”

The honorees included Karcheik Sims Alvarado, Silvia Castillo, Rev. Angela Johnson, Gulliana Goehring, Maria del Rosario Palacios, Angel Carey Turner and Leslie Z. Ramirez.

The “Salute to Sisterhood” luncheon is an annual event.