Seven individuals, organizations in Salt Lake City awarded for their human rights efforts

Dec. 13, 2024

Seven community members and organizations were recognized by the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission on Thursday evening for their positive impact and advocacy in advancing human rights in the capital city.

"These awards are a powerful reminder that each of us has a role in creating a more equitable Salt Lake City," said Mayor Erin Mendenhall. "This work isn't easy, but the passion and persistence of this year's honorees are a testament to what we can achieve when we are brave enough to rise to the challenge."

Emerging Leader for Human Rights Award

• Wild-Violet Badger, a homeschooled high school junior, advocates for communities facing food insecurity, homelessness, and accessible education. She spends significant time volunteering to spread awareness, from Salt Lake City Youth City Government raising money for the Utah Food Bank to partnering with the City Library for teen talks. In a recent project, Wild-Violet helped plan and host an outreach seminar with the Rape Recovery Center on consent education. She is a member of the Salt Lake Peer Court, helping to mentor fellow youth and advocate for them.
  
• Destiny Garcia serves as the Executive Director of Clean Slate Utah. Having personally navigated the expungement process, she understands the profound barriers a criminal record can place on individuals and families. She's committed to expanding awareness of Utah's Clean Slate law and pushes for national expansion of this policy while making expungement accessible to all Utahns. In 2023, she received the Liberty Bell Award from the Utah State Bar.

Inspirational Advocate for Human Rights Award

• Jason M. Groth is the legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah (ACLU), where he helps protect the civil rights of Utahns through litigation, policy, and grassroots strategies. Living in Salt Lake City since 2018, Jason led the ACLU's Campaign for Smart Justice to advocate for statewide criminal justice reform, including passing criminal justice reform legislation and advocating for unsheltered rights through a series of reports on Operation Rio Grande. His role since then has expanded to litigating civil rights issues.
  
• Jeniece Olsen is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of experience in housing and homelessness in both the United States and Australia, currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer at Fourth Street Clinic, overseeing central clinic operations and outreach services at locations across Salt Lake County. Previously, she worked for over a decade at The Road Home overseeing and providing stabilization services and affordable housing to people experiencing homelessness. She believes we are better as a community when our most vulnerable have access to high-quality healthcare and safe, affordable housing.

Community Partner for Human Rights Award

• International Rescue Committee New Roots Program focuses on the unique skills many refugees and new Americans bring from their home countries and provides a community garden program, a youth agriculture and leadership program, and farm business training program for refugees and new Americans. By providing access to land, resources, training, and markets, New Roots supports youth and adult refugees and new Americans in growing and selling fresh, culturally familiar, affordable produce to nourish themselves and the community.
  
• Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR) is dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion, and empowerment for Pacific Islander communities and all under-resourced community members through a human rights perspective. Its work centers empowering living services, the Pacific Island Chamber of Commerce, and Pasifika Enriching Arts of Utah. These programs aim to alleviate poverty, increase safety, and reduce harm by integrating ancestral wisdom with modern practices, fostering resilience, healing, and self-determination.

Inaugural City Excellence for Human Rights Award

• Salt Lake City Department of Sustainability created and launched Clean Air SLC, an initiative to distribute equipment and information to help residents improve air quality in their neighborhoods and inside their homes. Staff focused on connecting to a diverse audience in outreach, with an emphasis on the City's west side, and prioritized Spanish-language access. The spring landscaping equipment exchange resulted in an estimated 5,869 pounds of pollution being removed from our airshed.

"We are thankful to our great city and Mayor Erin Mendenhall for being an active and integral part of human rights in Salt Lake City," said Olivia Jaramillo, a Human Rights Commissioner. "As we move forward, this commission aims to tackle problems faced by our disadvantaged communities and provide actionable solutions that will not only provide relief but create a foundation of support for those most in need in our city."

The celebration on Thursday was hosted by the City's Human Rights Commission, a nine-person commission that focuses on eliminating discrimination in Salt Lake City to enhance the welfare of residents and the vitality of diverse neighborhoods and businesses. Residents interested in serving on the commission can apply online.

Tags: affordable housing, Affordable Housing and Homelessness, Clean Air SLC, Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Day, Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Sustainability Department

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