Two organizations dedicated to strengthening communities by empowering individuals at risk were the recipients of the 2025 MTA Human and Civil Rights Awards, which were presented July 27 at a ceremony featuring keynote speaker Cornel West.
MTA’s Human Relations Committee presented its annual awards for the first time at Summer Conference, allowing for a larger audience to hear from the organizations being recognized and experience West’s presentation, which was part lecture and part call-to-arms to “hold up the best of us” in the face of America’s rising despair and cynicism.
The “best of us” certainly could be found in M.O.C.H.A and Uncommon Threads, the organizations recognized by MTA for their important work in their respective communities.
M.O.C.H.A – Men of Color Health Awareness – is based in Springfield, where its staffers fan out to talk to Black and Latino men about their health and offer pathways to greater well-being. M.O.C.H.A. seeks to dismantle the health care disparities related to race, gender and class, which show up among men of color as higher levels of stress and overall poorer health compared to other segments of the population.
M.O.C.H.A. received the Kathleen Roberts Creative Leadership Award, named after former MTA president and longtime union activist Kay Roberts. Members of the Massachusetts Society of Professors chapter at UMass Amherst nominated M.O.C.H.A. for the award.
“The very name of the award — creative leadership — resonates deeply in M.O.C.H.A.’s journey,” said project director Lamont Scott when accepting the award on the organization’s behalf.
M.O.C.H.A. formed in 2010 and carries out its work through a network of partnerships with UMass Amherst, YMCA of Greater Springfield, Baystate Hospital and various city and state agencies. M.O.C.H.A. offers workshops and classes aimed at encouraging men to take better care of themselves, and the organization’s staff shows up at civic events and visits places where they feel they can begin conversations with men about their health. M.O.C.H.A. urges men to develop healthy routines around regular exercise and routine doctors’ visits for check-ups and appropriate scans. Men participating in M.O.C.H.A. programs report being more physically fit, feeling better, and reducing the use of alcohol or drugs.
“M.O.C.H.A. was founded on the simple, yet profound, belief that by empowering men and women to prioritize their health — physically, spiritually and mentally — we foster stronger individuals, families and communities,” Scott said.
Similarly, Uncommon Threads in Lawrence sees the impact of its work as extending far beyond the initial impact of providing clothing to women experiencing trauma and crisis.
Uncommon Threads received the Louise Gaskins Lifetime Civil Rights Award, named after a pioneering educator who promoted equal opportunity for all. Members of the Andover Education Association nominated Uncommon Threads for the award.
Uncommon Threads founder Susan Kanoff uses clothing and fashion as a jumping off point for women to repair and rebuild their lives. In addition to providing clothing to women, Uncommon Threads offers workshops and other services with the goal of building confidence in women and empowering them to pursue life-improving opportunities.
“It’s not just about the clothes,” Kanoff said. “It’s about that moment when a woman sees herself in a positive light, it’s about making someone feel valued and supported by a community of women who truly care, so when that woman looks in the mirror she thinks, ‘I am capable, I am worthy, I am enough,’ and she owns her power.”
Kanoff combined her background in social work and fashion to open Uncommon Threads in 2016. The organization has helped about 20,000 women since then. Kanoff said Uncommon Threads typically gives warm clothing to at least 500 women each winter, and this year she expects to provide clothing and services to 6,000 women in the Greater Lawrence area.
“When we invest in women, we create a ripple effect. A confident woman lifts up her family, community and society,” Kanoff said. “Empowering women isn’t charity, it’s smart.”
In his keynote address, West zeroed in on the importance of the values being celebrated by the HCR awards, which the MTA has been giving out since 1983.
In his trademark fiery delivery, the tall, animated, black-clad West bemoaned a culture of “addiction and distraction” in America, where young people in particular are vulnerable to becoming simply consumers rather than engaged citizens.
He lifted up the power of education and of the arts, calling on MTA members to “push back” against policies that undermine education and devalue the humanity of people.
“We need to create disruption, and you need to be willing to assert yourself,” West said. “We need to be learning from each other and be willing to take risks for the sake of our children.”
He offered up the formula of “respect, correct and protect” to educators and others looking to guide young people toward deeper beliefs about the importance of community and caring for others.
West did not hold back on his criticism of the Trump administration as the very embodiment of a spiritual crisis affecting America.
“A hypocrite knows the standard and chooses to ignore it. A gangster has no standards. Trump is a gangster,” West said.
West encouraged action and solidarity to bring about positive change, citing the work of educators and the HCR award winners as examples of the different ways to break through the malaise and allow individuals to flourish while also supporting others around them.
“Find your own voice,” he said. “This is not about being an echo.”
To learn more about the Human and Civil Rights Awards of this and previous years, please visit massteacher.org/hcr.
