By Tatyanna Pruitt

Laura Greenfield, a UK College of Arts & Science geography alumna, was recently awarded the Sargent Shiver Youth Warriors Against Poverty Leadership Award by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. The award is presented to recognize and honor the vision, passion, and dedication of young people on improving the lives of families and communities.

Greenfield is the member-leader of Kentuckians For the Commonwealth’s (KFTC) Environmental Justice Analysis Work Team for the Empower Kentucky Project. She collaborated with other KFTC members to do an Environmental Justice Analysis for Kentucky, helping to further understanding of the relationship between pollution, health, race, and poverty.

“I cannot even express how honored I am for the nomination and for receiving this award, how excited I am for the continued work ahead, and thankful for organizations like KFTC which work daily to fight poverty and all injustice,” Greenfield said.

Greenfield and the other honorees received an award of $5,000 in recognition of their leadership.

“These young people are inspirations to us all,” said Luz Vega-Marquis, president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation. “Their activism, rooted in their own personal experiences, reminds us that each of us can make a difference by simply standing up for what is right and what is needed in our communities. By stepping up to remake their communities and their world, each of them is carrying the legacy of Sargent Shiver.”

To read more about the analysis and the award, visit: http://bit.ly/2xE4z7S.