New York J 1468: Honoring the Young, Gifted, & Black Entrepreneurial Awards for its commitment to recognizing excellence, service, and cultural leadership, and bestowing the Lifetime Achievement Award to Cassandra Harris Lockwood

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J01468 Summary:

BILL NOJ01468 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORPARKER

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Go to top J01468 Actions:

BILL NOJ01468 

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01/16/2026REFERRED TO FINANCE

01/28/2026REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

01/28/2026ADOPTED

Go to topJ01468 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ01468 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ01468 Text:

Senate Resolution No. 1468

BY: Senator PARKER

 HONORING the Young, Gifted, & Black
 Entrepreneurial Awards for its commitment to
 recognizing excellence, service, and cultural
 leadership, and bestowing the Lifetime Achievement
 Award to Cassandra Harris Lockwood

 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend institutions and initiatives that uplift communities by
celebrating excellence, service, creativity, justice, and visionary
leadership, and that affirm the enduring value of civic engagement,
cultural expression, and community stewardship; and

 WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
the Young, Gifted, & Black Entrepreneurial Awards, upon the occasion of
its presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Community Service
and Outreach on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, recognizing a lifetime of
service and transformative impact within the Black and global community;
and

 WHEREAS, Established in 2006 by founder Carl Gray, the Young,
Gifted, & Black Entrepreneurial Awards is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to recognizing and celebrating distinguished individuals of
color across the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa, whose leadership,
perseverance, creativity, and service have made meaningful and lasting
contributions across business, education, the arts, philanthropy, and
community development, while uplifting stories of excellence that might
otherwise go unrecognized; and

 WHEREAS, In furtherance of this mission, the Young, Gifted, & Black
Entrepreneurial Awards has selected Cassandra Harris Lockwood as the
recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Community Service and
Outreach, in recognition of more than five decades of visionary
leadership at the intersection of art, activism, journalism, and
grassroots community empowerment; and

 WHEREAS, Born in Washington, D.C., in 1951 and raised in rural
Upstate New York, Cassandra Harris Lockwood emerged early as a leader
and advocate, attaining state-level student leadership during the
transformative social movements of the 1960s, experiences that shaped
her lifelong commitment to justice, equity, and cultural expression; and

 WHEREAS, A graduate of Kirkland College with a degree in fine arts
and dance, Cassandra Harris Lockwood distinguished herself as a
trailblazer for gender equity, becoming the first female construction
worker in New York State and advancing opportunities for women in labor
during a period of entrenched institutional exclusion; and

 WHEREAS, Her artistic excellence earned advanced training at the
Alvin Ailey Dance Studio, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the George
Faison School of Dance, and during this period she further shattered
barriers as the first woman licensed to drive a Hansom cab in New York
City, reflecting courage, determination, and resilience; and

 WHEREAS, Cassandra Harris Lockwood's professional career included
work on Broadway and off Broadway productions such as Raisin, Bubbling
Brown Sugar, The Wiz, and Wine in the Wilderness, while also cultivating
a multidimensional artistic practice encompassing music, playwriting,
healing arts, metaphysics, and community-centered creative expression;
and

 WHEREAS, Returning to Utica, New York, in 1979, Cassandra Harris
Lockwood united her artistic vision with direct community action,
serving as Lead Organizer for Corn Hill People United and dedicating her
life to empowering individuals and families through advocacy,
self-determination, and grassroots organizing; and

 WHEREAS, In 2002, she founded For The Good, Inc., a nonprofit
devoted to arts, education, and community development, and launched
Utica Phoenix, the city's first Black newspaper, creating a lasting
platform for underrepresented voices and cultural representation in
Central New York; and

 WHEREAS, T