Vermont Business Magazine In partnership with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas recognized two Vermont youth with the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award on Friday. The national award recognizes individuals under 25 who have demonstrated leadership abilities, have a passion for social justice, and are motivated to improve the quality of life in their community.
Vermont’s 2024 recipients of the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award are both recent high school graduates:
- Yolanda Bansah, who graduated from U-32 and now attends Fordham University.
- Marshall Moffatt, who graduated from Richford High School and now attends the University of Vermont.
“I’m thrilled to honor these two exceptional young people who have made a huge difference in their communities,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “We know that the kind of activism and leadership they have already demonstrated sets a strong foundation for what’s to come. Representative Lewis is often remembered for his legacy as a venerable statesman, but as this award highlights, he was already active in his youth as a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 60’s. I’m looking forward to more great things from these young Vermonters!”
While a student at U-32, Yolanda Bansah was an extraordinary leader in advancing advocacy and education around racial justice, Black history, and Black joy. She envisioned and created a speaker series for her peers during Black History Month, and as a dedicated member of U-32's BIPOC affinity group BLAAMM, led faculty trainings for staff at U-32 on race and racism, also visiting elementary schools in the Washington Central district to educate 5th and 6th graders and their teachers on these topics.
She began volunteering as a high school student with the Central Vermont Refugee Action Network, and has recently been named their new volunteer coordinator, continuing to serve Vermonters as a first-year student at Fordham. Her senior superlative at U-32 was “Future President.” Her nominator, U-32 librarian Meg Boisseau Allison, described Yolanda as “a force of nature… she is a most remarkable young woman and left a mark at U-32, making us a community where justice and joy are centered and celebrated.”
“I am extremely grateful and honored to receive this award,” said Bansah. “I’m also so thankful for all of the people that have supported me along the way. I am so excited to continue building on the work that I have started with advocating for racial justice, especially within education. I truly believe that our greatest strength is our voice, and I look forward to seeing Vermont students that look like me use their voices to create change within their communities in the near future.”
Currently a first-year student at the University of Vermont, Marshall Moffatt attended Richford High School, where he made an indelible impact as a member of the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network (VSARN), whose mission is to “achieve education without racism through education about racism.” Marshall travelled to read anti-racism literature to elementary-aged children across Vermont, and organized discussions with local officials to address anti-racism issues and explore ways to enhance our communities. As a member of the Richford High School GSA group, he presented to faculty on how to effectively intervene against hate speech. This led to collaborations with the district’s Director for the Advancement in Education Equity, resulting in presentations that reached a wide audience, including younger students, district leadership, and over 250 faculty and staff members during in-service training.
Marshall represented the Vermont State University-Johnson Upward Bound program at the JFK Leadership Conference twice, engaging with advocacy efforts for first-generation college students. Encouraged to reach out to someone in a position of political power, Marshall wrote directly to President Biden about education in rural America, receiving a thoughtful reply. On graduation from RHS, he was nominated by his peers and educators for the RHS Accepted and Valued Award from the Avery Margaret Vaillancourt (AMV) Foundation, which recognizes those who create cultures of belonging and inclusion. Marshall was described by his nominees at graduation as “incredibly supportive and respectful… There is a warmth that shines from him that is hard to describe. He makes others feel better about themselves, more confident, comfortable, and more willing to be brave and take positive risks.”
"John Lewis fought for a future of equal opportunity and peace, exemplifying how powerful social movements need to persevere in the face of hardship and incorporate unique perspectives,” said Moffatt. “It is an absolute honor to receive an award in his name, and I plan to expand my circle of dignity to those of all struggles and backgrounds. Even if the ideal future is far past my time, I will be at peace knowing I did something to better the life of someone I may never meet."
Secretary Copeland Hanzas also stressed that her office received many incredible nominations for this year’s award and chose to recognize several finalists. “Especially as the new legislative session begins and we think about how we can all work together to make Vermont a better place, I think it’s a great chance to highlight these incredible young people who are out there helping to lead the way in this work,” she said. The finalists are:
Paulina Valentine of Essex Junction
Nadia Sylla of Burlington
Mathias Mmunga of Burlington
Arena Coryer of Colchester
Savannah Hussey of Coventry
Harmony Devoe of Warren
Sam Doherty of Burlington
Dominick Barrows of Westford
Auishma Pradhan of South Burlington
Mea Ree Jan of Winooski
Yolanda Bansah (left) and Marshall Moffatt (right) with Secretary Copeland Hanzas.
About the NASS John Lewis Youth Leadership Award
The John Lewis Youth Leadership Award was established in 2021 by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). The award honors the extraordinary accomplishments of Congressman John Lewis.
His courageous achievements during the Civil Rights Movement and his long tenure of public service have inspired and will continue to inspire Americans for generations to come. In 1961, at the age of 21, Lewis was one of the original thirteen Freedom Riders. In 1963, Lewis was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington and one of the “Big Six” leaders that organized the march. In 1965, Lewis helped lead the Selma to Montgomery marches. The first march became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement when unarmed marchers were attacked by state troopers as they crossed Edmund Pettus Bridge. Lewis’ activism continued throughout his life. He served as a U.S. Congressman for 33 years until his death in 2020.
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