05/06/2026
Dear Friends,
JCRC is proud to announce this year's Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations Pluralism Awards Honorees - Brian Jennings, Joyce Jones, Blake Hamilton, and Mary Pedersen.
We hope you will join us on May 20th at the Clayton Plaza Hotel for the Annual JCRC Tzedek Awards, where we will honor Brian, Joyce, Blake, and Mary for all they have done to build bridges in our community and create a more just and pluralistic society.
Brian Jennings is in his 26th year of teaching in the English Language Arts and Fine Arts departments at Affton High School where he also co-sponsors the International Club and AHS Freedom Fighters. He is the 2025-2026 Affton School District Teacher of the Year and a recipient of a 2025 Emerson Excellence in Teaching award. Brian is passionate about creating authentic learning experiences grounded in collaboration with the community that fosters inclusivity and social justice.
According to Brian, there is no work he has done that better aligns with this passion than his work with the JCRC and his hosting of student presenters from Student to Student program of the Newmark Institute. What began as a presentation to a multicultural literature class he taught in his first year on the job, has expanded to a comprehensive partnership with JCRC that ensures every student at Affton High School encounters a Student to Student presentation before they graduate. Through this collaboration, misconceptions and generalities are replaced with an understanding of the richness of the Jewish community. This program is the epitome of authentic learning experiences that make our community stronger.
Joyce Jones is a native of St. Louis, and serves as Director of the Office of Racial Harmony and Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of St. LouisArchdiocese of St. Louis. In this role, she leads initiatives that promote racial healing, dialogue, and unity across parishes, schools, and communities, grounded in prayer, education, and relationship-building.
A respected leader both locally and nationally, Joyce has served on the Executive Board of Good Shepherd Children and Family Services and the Board of Directors for the Mercy Conference and Retreat Center. She is also a past chair and member of the Missouri Catholic Conference’s Public Policy Committee. At the national level, she contributed to a United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) initiative focused on supporting young adults of color at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Joyce also leads an annual Civil Rights pilgrimage for high school students to Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, helping form the next generation of faith-driven leaders committed to justice.
Joyce has engaged in interfaith collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis (JCRC), including participation in a Washington, D.C. delegation of Black and Jewish leaders and as an alumna of the inaugural Rekindle STL cohort for Black/Jewish dialogue, later serving as a co-facilitator for the program. Both the trip and the Rekindle program are initiatives of the Newmark Institute at JCRC.
Blake Hamilton is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Institute St. Louis. Before stepping into the CEO role, Blake served as Senior Vice President for Talent Development and Advocacy. His 16-year journey at the International Institute began in 2009 as a Job Developer, connecting newly arrived refugees to employment opportunities in St. Louis and ensuring they had the skills needed to contribute to the local workforce during the Great Recession. In other roles, Blake has overseen the successful implementation of a variety of programs in the agency’s Workforce Solutions, Community Development Corporation, Refugee Resettlement, Social Work, Education and Training departments. He has been a member of the organization’s Executive Leadership team since 2016.
Blake has overseen the development and implementation of programs that have been both locally and nationally recognized by The St. Louis Partnership's Arcus Awards, FOCUS St. Louis’ What’s Right With the Region Awards, and the White House Task Force on New Americans. He served on the Executive Team of the Immigrant Service Provider Network (ISPN) from 2020–2022, including serving as the chair of the Language Justice Committee of ISPN, and has served on the board of the Tower Grove Neighborhood Community Development Corporation since 2022.
Mary Pedersen has been engaged in interfaith work for nearly three decades, including the past three years professionally with Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis. Her involvement with the organization began in 1997 as a volunteer, where she played a key role in shaping its community service initiatives. Over the years, she served ten years on its Board of Directors, contributed as a staff member twice during seasons of transition, and currently serves as an Interfaith Relations Specialist, helping guide its mission and outreach.
In addition to her work with Interfaith Partnership, Mary has served for the past 15 years on the Board of The Living Insights Center and earned a degree in Religion Studies from Webster University in 2019, to further deepen her commitment to interfaith understanding and collaboration. She is a frequent presenter in diverse interfaith settings and often represents her own faith tradition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We truly hope the entire community will join us in honoring Brian, Joyce, Blake, and Mary on May 20th!
David Cohen,
JCRC Executive Director
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The Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations Pluralism Awards, inaugurated in 2023, are given to individuals whose work advances a pluralistic society where diverse religious, racial, and ethnic groups live and work together - appreciating how their differences enhance the wider community.
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https://conta.cc/4d98DTk
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https://jcrcstl.org/take-action/tzedek-awards-2026.html
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Thank you to our sponsors!
Congregation Shaare Emeth
United Hebrew Congregation
Congregation B'nai Amoona
Kol Rinah Congregation
Jewish Federation of St. Louis
St. Louis Jewish Light
Royal Banks of Missouri@
Arts & Faith STL
The Staenberg Group
Staenberg Family Foundation
National Student to Student
David and Joan Bohm
Susan Block and Frieda Smith
Joel and Joanne Iskiwitch
Neil and Wendy Jaffe
