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KYW Newsradio: Anti-Defamation League to honor health secretary Levine with special award

  • December 7, 2020

By Cherri Gregg

The Anti-Defamation League will honor Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Sunday with its inaugural Courage Award.

ADL Regional Director Shira Goodman spoke to KYW Newsradio about the creation of the award.

“We are doing a special virtual event and we wanted to recognize someone who really epitomizes courage and what it means to stand up against hate. And we thought Dr. Levine was the perfect person to honor this year,” she said.

Goodman explained Levine’s status as an openly transgender official, and how she navigated the difficulties of a major public health crisis, inspired them to award her this year.

“She has been attacked, she has been misgendered. She is Jewish and she has been called horrific things. She has been called a Nazi for the restrictions she has tried to put in place under the Wolf administration to protect Pennsylvanians during the pandemic. She has had threats from extremists,” she detailed.

Goodman added, “She has just been steadfast in working for the people of Pennsylvania, standing up, not being afraid to be in public, to be in front of people and tell us what we need to know to give us the facts to help get us through this tough time.”

The free virtual event takes place Sunday, December 6 at 7 p.m. Registration is open to the public.