Inaugural Bravely Awards Honoring Artist/Activist Joan Lipkin Raises Over $10,000

Theatre artist and social activist Joan Lipkin received two standing ovations at the recent inaugural Bravely Awards Luncheon to honor women who exemplify courage.

Described by Bravely Executive Director Michelle Roberts as fearlessly creative, Lipkin is known for her bold and innovative work in performance and civic engagement around racial justice, disability, reproductive choice, LGBTQ rights, climate change, immigration, and voting rights. Theatre critic Chuck Lavazzi has said Lipkin directs the city's theatre of conscience.

In accepting the award, Lipkin said she could not remember a more challenging time for the country than now, and that it calls for courage and more collective action. She cautioned that systemic trauma can impede connection, but that is not necessarily insurmountable.

Lipkin says she tries to address the most pressing issues of our times, some ongoing and others that are more immediately heightened. Most recently, she created a new initiative, We Immigrants, that combines Playback theatre with reenacting stories that immigrants and refugees share onstage. Prompted by Trump administration policies--specifically, the travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries, the treatment of refugees seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border and the imprisonment of migrant children-- We Immigrants debuted at the Missouri History Museum on April 28 to a sold-out audience.

Live performance, especially when it involves community interaction, is a path towards empathy, a quality we are needing more than ever, Lipkin said.

The Bravely Awards were established to honor individuals or organizations that have strengthened the St. Louis community by bringing attention to social justice issues including the violence, addiction and sexual exploitation the women of Bravely have experienced.

This year's honorees exemplify the justice fighters, the fearlessly creative and the outspoken survivors the award was created to recognize. In addition to Lipkin, the other honorees were: The Rev. Traci Blackmon, a prominent community leader, gifted preacher and much-loved pastor of Christ the King UCC in Florissant, who also serves as the acting executive of UCC Justice and Witness Ministries; Christine McDonald, an activist, internationally recognized author and speaker, and former board member of Bravely; and Aisha Sultan, a journalist, filmmaker, and nationally syndicated columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The non-profit Bravely, formerly Magdalene St. Louis, hosted the inaugural Bravely Awards Luncheon at Patty Long's Ninth Street Abbey, emceed by KMOV 4's Laura Hettiger. The sold-out event (held April 11) raised over $10,000, all of which will provide the women of Bravely with a safe, nurturing community where they are empowered to begin healing from sexual exploitation and complex trauma.

More than 200 people attended the event, which accomplished exactly what its organizers hoped it would it sounded the message of the organization, while expanding awareness of Bravely's deeply important mission.

Bravely residents, without exception, have experienced multiple forms of violence over their lifetimes. Many have experienced poverty and racism as children, grew up in foster homes, are incest or childhood sexual abuse survivors, lost family and friends due to gun violence, and/or became involved with an abusive partner.

St. Louis is ranked 18th on the top 20 list of vulnerable cities for sex trafficking.

For more information, visit www.bravely.org

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