Human Rights Hall of Fame inducts its founder

Induction a ‘culmination’ for retired human rights director Odessa Shannon

The awards program, which honors leaders in civil and human rights in the county, was started by Shannon in 2001.

Shannon, the first African-American woman to hold county elected office with the Board of Education, was human rights director for 13 years before retiring in January. Shannon, of Silver Spring, said she founded the Human Rights Hall of Fame after she brought up the names of several Montgomery County civil rights era activists in conversation and realized no one knew whom she was talking about.

‘‘That was very disturbing to me because I knew how much these people had vested in trying to make the county what it is to day,” Shannon said. ‘‘I was trying to think of a way to honor them, and what came to mind was a Hall of Fame.”

Shannon said she felt honored to be inducted this year. ‘‘This was the culmination of an extraordinary career in Montgomery County,” Shannon said. ‘‘It was like it all came together. I was really touched.”

Shannon’s name, along with the names of the four other inductees — Frederick resident David R. Baker, Bethesda resident Austin Heyman, Potomac resident Vernon H. Ricks, Jr., and Boyds resident Jane B. Stearns — will appear on a sculpture located in the Executive Office Building in Rockville, along with the names of past inductees.

The honorees were independently nominated and named by a panel of judges. County Executive Isiah Leggett, along with County Councilman George Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park and County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, spoke at the event. Leggett was inducted into the Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2001.

Heyman was honored for his longtime volunteer service to the county. In 1986, he founded Interages, an organization that works to connect younger and older generations in the county. He serves on the Montgomery County Commission on Aging and works to promote the Vital Learning Initiative — an organization that aims to engage retirees in community service. ‘‘It was a really good week,” Heyman said of the experience.

Ricks, the first African-American manager with the Xerox Corporation, has worked in promoting equality in the workplace. He was a founding member of the company’s Black Caucus and helped develop the corporation’s Affirmative Action Program. Later in his career, Ricks served as the Mayor Pro-Tem of the City of Takoma Park.

Baker, the Montgomery County Police Department’s Hate Crimes Coordinator, helps victims and communities deal with hate-based crimes. He also trains recruits and residents about crime prevention and cultural diversity.

Stearns helped create WUMCO Help, an organization geared toward residents in Western Upper Montgomery County, encompassing Dickerson, Poolesville, Barnesville, Beallsville and Boyds. The group provides emergency assistance — such as help with rent, utilities, medicine, vehicles and day care — to those in need. Stearns coordinates the efforts of about 50 volunteers in the organization. For 30 years, she has also acted as the membership secretary for the Montgomery County branch of the NAACP.

Shannon said she hopes the Hall of Fame will continue honoring those who work in human rights in the county. ‘‘In Montgomery County, people continue to devote time and energy and commitment to social justice, and I hope it will carry on into the future.”