Local Heroes Project Honors Widney Brown

The Social Action Committee of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County has instituted a program for celebrating Local Heroes. We believe that many people in our communities are doing important, under-appreciated work in social service and social action.

Widney Brown is our Local Hero Honoree for 2016 — To honor her leadership at Physicians for Human Rights; her support of our Essex Ethical Culture Society; and her efforts to spread good will and respect for gender differences in her neighborhood. She will be accepting the honor on Sunday, May 22.

Brown is the Director of Programs, New York, for Physicians for Human Rights. She oversees PHR’s research, investigations, monitoring and evaluation, documentation, advocacy, and capacity-building projects. Prior to joining PHR, she served as the senior director for international law and policy at Amnesty International’s Secretariat in London.

She was responsible for Amnesty International’s strategic litigation program, standard-setting initiatives, international justice program, advocacy in global and regional intergovernmental settings, and policy development. Before Amnesty International, she worked at Human Rights Watch for nine years during which time she served in a variety of roles, including as deputy program director, where she was responsible for overseeing the work of both regional and thematic programs.

Locally, she has spoken for us at the Ethical Culture Society. She also has, in her own backyard in Maplewood, quietly supported and eased the coming out of young people, and has spread good will to the children who attend a Jewish Day Care Center near her home, explaining gender issues in a way they can understand. We honor her both for her engaged, neighborly presence in our community, and for her work for all of us at the national and international level.