Bea is not really my Aunt, she was my mom's first cousin, so she is my second cousin. In 2005 I spent a week with her learning to do clay sculpture. When I finish my piece I will add it to the website, but below is a link to Bea's beautiful works.
Bea has always been an activist and recently she received the Eleanor M. Hosley Memorial Award given annually by the Hanna Perkins Center --for Child Development. It's to recognize a person for "kind, effective consideration of the needs, feelings, and rights of children."Below is her speech in accepting the award:
I thank you so much for this great award. It
is truly an honor to be chosen by the Hanna Perkins Center. You do such outstanding
work for the welfare of children and families. And I greet all of you here
and applaud you for your important efforts in healing the human community.
I can only accept this honor by also recognizing the many colleagues who accompanied
me in my life’s work. My partner, now gone, was constantly encouraging
and helping as I took on new projects. My family, many of them here, are still
my cheering section.
In my early parenting years, I had many struggles-- and came to realize how
difficult and urgent it is to provide each child with a safe and protective
home. I was raised by immigrant parents, in a home full of love and a moral
commitment to be of use. For that I am deeply grateful.
The years immediately after World War II when I worked with a United Nations
Mission in Yugoslavia imprinted me with the message of Peace. Anna Freud documented
the tragedy of wartime on children and families. In our world of rising violence
and war, we must find nonviolent ways to save our planet. Here in our own
country, the blight of poverty that I have witnessed in mine country and in
inner city has stunted and distorted parents and children alike. We daily
witness the plague of domestic violence, with women bearing the heaviest burden,
but affecting all.
Despite these somber facts, I have seen great progress over the years in tackling
many of societal challenges. We have named the abuses, we have learned more
about their causes, we have legislated protections. And we have enlisted so
many dedicated helpers, like you, to pursue the healing of our scarred selves.
We are all such remarkable beings—endowed with the power of love and
compassion. From our children, we inherit the “sense of wonder,”
and if we tend it carefully, we need never lose it. Then we can greet our
days with hope and determination,-- and with the vision of a world at peace,
at home and in our hearts. Thank you again for honoring me.
10/20/07
Eleanor M. Hosley Memorial Award