PRINCETON, NJ - The Princeton Community Democratic Organization has announced the inaugural recipients of its newly established Founders Awards: Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and community activist Liz Cohen.
The First Annual Founders Awards Ceremony and Dinner will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at the Princeton Italian American Sportsmen's Club, 8 Founders Lane, Princeton. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $130 per person, with discounted tickets available for Democrats age 26 and under. Tickets are available at princetondems.org.
The awards were created in memory of Peter Lindenfeld, a PCDO founder who died last year at age 100 and helped establish the organization in the late 1960s. Each year, the PCDO will recognize one current or former elected official and one community member for exceptional civic engagement and advocacy.
Watson Coleman is completing her sixth and final term in the U.S. House of Representatives, having announced her retirement. She made history as the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress and the first Black woman to chair the NJ State Democratic Committee. She serves on the House Appropriations and Budget committees and co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls in 2016.
Cohen, a Princeton resident for 39 years, is a retired hospice social worker and longtime PCDO member who volunteers with the Coalition for Peace Action, Princeton Mutual Aid, Resistencia, and Solidaridad Central Jersey, where she assists immigrant neighbors with asylum applications and court accompaniment. She is also a member of Unity through Understanding, an interfaith group working to build bridges between Jewish, Muslim, and allied communities.
"Our honorees embody the values that guide the PCDO — public service, social justice, and a deep commitment to our democracy," PCDO President Jeffrey Oakman said in a statement.
The evening will include a reception, dinner, and awards program with remarks from honorees and local leaders.
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