Marin County Human Rights Commission Honors Humanitarians

SAN RAFAEL, CA — The Marin County Human Rights Commission honored three local teens and two adults for their efforts toward human rights during a ceremony Feb. 27 at McInnis Park Golf Center Restaurant in San Rafael.

High school seniors Sylvia Potovsky, Sonia Saltzman and Ava Francis-Hall received the 2019-2020 Youth Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Awards, and Dominque McDowell and Alexis Wise received the Adult MLK Jr. Humanitarian Awards. Dr. Itoco Garcia, superintendent of Sausalito Marin City Schools, was the guest speaker at the ceremony.

The Human Rights Commission was established in April 1966 by a unanimous vote of the Marin County Board of Supervisors to promote measures to eliminate prejudice, intolerance and discrimination against any group because of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, cultural background, sexual orientation or disability.

Learn more about the award recipients:

• Sylvia Potovsky: A senior at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, Potovsky is the president of Sunrise Club (which focuses on climate change), a member of the Eco-Action Club (garden and sustainability) and the Interact Club (community service). She is captain of the field hockey team and a volunteer with Ritter Center and the Sunrise Movement.
• Sonia Saltzman: A senior at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, Saltzman is a member of the Marin County Youth Commission, Being Adept (a drugs and alcohol education program for middle schoolers), Model United Nations, the Mill Valley Youth Advisory Council, and has been a Marin Teen Girl Ambassador the past four years.
• Ava Francis-Hall: A senior at Novato High School, Francis-Hall is the media and communications coordinator for the Marin County Youth Commission, a participant in Raising Awareness for Cultural Empathy, a weekly volunteer at the Ceres Community Kitchen, and a summer counselor for the Tech Trek Camp put on by the American Association of University Women.
• Dominique McDowell: A San Rafael resident, McDowell built a program at the Marin City Health and Wellness Center to serve those struggling with opioid and alcohol addiction. He has contracted with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services on addiction and homeless services and has worked closely with the Probation Department and the jail re-entry team. He has also partnered with the Marin Homelessness Prevention Steering Committee and Department of Health and Human Services' Medication Assisted Treatment Recovery Team to improve services to clients.
• Alexis Wise: A Marin City resident, Wise founded Wise Choices for Girls in 2010 and serves as director. The organization is a Marin City-based mentoring group for girls from 13 to 18 years old. She has volunteered with the Hannah Project, which boosts academic proficiency and college attendance for Marin City youths and other low-income youths of color. She has served as a board member for the Marin City Health and Wellness Center Board and assisted in many aspects with Transitional Age Youth, which provides wellness and recovery services to young people.