Rumson art teacher to receive NEA Virginia Uribe Memorial Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights
Kate Okeson, the president of the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional Education Association the co-founder and program director of Make It Better for Youth (MIB4Y) – The Monmouth County Consortium for LGBTQ Youth in New Jersey, and an art teacher for more than 20 years, is this year’s winner of the NEA Virginia Uribe Memorial Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights.
Okeson also co-writes the NJEA Review’s monthly column, the Rainbow Connection.
NEA presents the Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights to a nominee whose activities in human rights significantly impact education and the achievement of equal opportunity for those facing discrimination due to their sexual orientation.
At Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Okeson facilitated the founding of Spectrum, the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club and has served as its adviser for more than 15 years. Through her work with MIB4Y and NJEA, particularly through the NJEA Consortium, Okeson’s work has influenced how LGBTQIA+ education and inclusion are addressed in in public schools across New Jersey.
Through MIB4Y, Okeson hosted summits to develop curricula to meet the LGBTQ education mandate. Through her affiliation with MIB4Y, Okeson organizes and presents trainings to families, schools and students on the impact of discrimination. These efforts led to MIB4Y and Garden State Equality coordinating the pilot implementation of LGBTQ inclusive curricula in 12 New Jersey school districts, beginning in 2020.
Okeson’s support for students navigating all the struggles of being LGBTQIA+ youth is matched by her leadership in a wide variety of civic, educational and legal endeavors. She currently is working to ensure that the New Jersey state Department of Education’s Transgender Student Guidance is codified into law.
The Virginia Uribe Memorial Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights will be conferred at the 2024 NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner on July 3, 2024.