Sophia Ward Brewer Receives Gordon Olson Award
Sophia Ward Brewer recently received the Gordon Olson Award on March, 20, for her excellence in giving voice to local communities.
Brewer has displayed decades of commitment to holding up the lesser-shared stories of Grand Rapids' Black history and women's history in particular, which aligns her perfectly with the Kutsche Office's mission of using history to give voice to diverse communities in West Michigan.
Born and raised in McComb, Mississippi, Brewer attended Jackson State University. Following her calling to be an educator, Brewer moved to Grand Rapids where she had family members.
She began her career at the Grand Rapids Public Library.
Her first job at the GRPL led to an adjunct position at Grand Rapids Community College.
She now is a tenured assistant professor and reference and collection development librarian.
Through educational initiatives, original research, public programming, and tireless community advocacy, she has set herself apart as uniquely committed to the people of Grand Rapids, past, present, and future.
In 2023 Sophia was elected to the board of the Michigan Library Association. She is also an member of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council and active in History Detectives. In addition, she writes a regular column for the GR Times, the oldest existing weekly publication targeting the Blacnk communities of Grand Rapids.
"Sophia's nominating letters were an absolute joy to read," said Nora Salas when making the presentation. "The writers praised her energy, creativity, and integrity, as well as her talents in leadership and storytelling."
Salas continued, "And then, of course, there's her brilliance as a research historian. Sofia digs! Perhaps this is one of the most important attributes of an historian: curiosity…a sense that there's something more to every single story.
Salas added, "Another attribute is courage. Speaking out against book bans, for example.
Speaking up when some try to reverse uncomfortable truths.
Slavery. Lynching. The legacy of Jim Crow."
Brewer has displayed decades of commitment to holding up the lesser-shared stories of Grand Rapids' Black history and women's history in particular, which aligns her perfectly with the Kutsche Office's mission of using history to give voice to diverse communities in West Michigan.
Salas mentioned just one of Sophia's projects that affirms both Gordon Olson's and Paul Kutsche's lifelong dedication to local history. I In her work on the Black women suffragists of Grand Rapids, Sophia focused on Hattie Beverly, the first African-American teacher in the Grand Rapids Public Schools who taught at Congress Elementary.
Salas said that Hattie's story is part of a larger one that includes others…but Sophia felt perhaps some kind of mystical connection.
"I wanted students at Congress Elementary to know she was like them. That she had hopes and dreams that took hard work to achieve. She was a local hero. I wanted them to see the hero in themselves, in their families, in their school and in their community," Brewer said.
Salas commended and congratulated Sofia "for all you've done to give voice to Hattie, her sister suffragists, and to the many citizens who are finally being heard."
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