Nearly 500 people gathered at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel ballroom at Crown Center to honor long-time civil rights and community activist Alvin Brooks with Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee (JCRB|AJC)’s Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award.
"Bringing communities together to reaffirm our shared commitment to justice is the core of JCRB|AJC’s work,” said Gavriela Geller, JCRB|AJC Executive Director. “There are no better role models in that than Henry Bloch and Alvin Brooks, and that shared mission was on full display at the Human Relations event.”
Despite his myriad other awards, Brooks told KMBC 9 News that the Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award “is the Grammy of them all,” and that carrying on Bloch’s legacy means to him more than words can express.
The Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Event helps JCRB|AJC’s education, community outreach, and advocacy work aimed at combating antisemitism and pursuing justice across the region. Civic leaders Shirley Bush Helzberg, Leo Morton, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II, Bob and Carolyn Reintjes, and Adam P. Sachs served as chairs for the event. Over $400,000 was raised to support JCRB|AJC’s work to combat antisemitism and pursue justice through education, advocacy and community programs.
