Event Honorees

JCUA is proud to honor Benetta Mansfield with the Rabbi Marx Award for Social Justice.

This award honors the legacy of JCUA’s founder, Rabbi Robert J. Marx (z”l), who dedicated his life to building multiracial coalitions and standing on the side of justice. It is presented each year to an individual whose work carries that legacy forward and has made a lasting impact on the fight for a more just world.

Benetta grew up in a family of activists in Chicago, where the values of civil rights and social justice were part of the fabric of daily life. She has worked on every federal election since she was 15 years old when she canvassed with her brother for Eugene McCarthy. She went on to spend more than 30 years as a union-side labor lawyer, dedicating her career to the belief that every worker deserves fair wages, dignity, and a voice on the job. She served as in-house counsel to a labor union, was appointed by a federal judge to oversee the election of officers of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, served as Chief of Staff of the National Mediation Board, and capped her career as Chief of Staff of the Amalgamated Transit Union, representing more than 185,000 workers across the U.S. and Canada.

Upon returning to Chicago, Benetta channeled that same commitment into organizations shaping the local and national social justice landscape — serving on the Board of JCUA, as Vice President of the Board of Arise Chicago (a faith-based advocacy center for worker and immigrant rights), as Board Chair of Avodah (which through its service and fellowship programs trains young Jewish adults to be social justice leaders), and while living in Washington, as Chair of the Board of Operation Understanding DC, which builds leadership and understanding between Black and Jewish young people. Benetta was also the founding co-chair of the Board of JCUA Votes. Throughout this time, Benetta and her husband Kalman Resnick have been dedicated members of JCUA, supporting our organizing campaigns for immigration justice, community safety, housing and economic justice, and more.

JCUA is excited to celebrate Benetta at Acts of Change on Sunday, June 14th. Learn more about the event here!

JCUA is proud to honor Representative Delia Ramirez with the Miriam Award for Inspiring Community Leadership.

The Miriam Award honors leadership rooted in community, courage that rises to the moment, and an unwavering belief that justice is pursued together.

Raised in Humboldt Park by working-class Guatemalan immigrant parents, Rep. Ramirez spent nearly two decades as a community organizer and nonprofit leader, directing the Center for Changing Lives, leading the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and championing affordable housing and racial justice at the Community Renewal Society and LUCHA.

In Springfield, Delia co-founded the Progressive Caucus and worked with organizations including JCUA to pass historic and transformative legislation that expanded Medicaid to undocumented seniors, designated $450 million for affordable housing, and created Chicago’s first elected school board. In 2022, she made history as the first Latina elected to Congress from the Midwest.

In Washington, Congresswoman Ramirez has become one of the fiercest voices standing up for multiracial democracy and the rule of law — confronting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown head-on, demanding accountability from DHS leadership, and co-leading the fight to protect DACA recipients. She has stood firmly against antisemitism and all forms of hatred, understanding that the fight against one oppression is the fight against all oppression. From the halls of Congress to the streets of Chicago, she has refused to let cruelty become normal.

JCUA is excited to celebrate Rep. Ramirez at Acts of Change on Sunday, June 14th. Learn more about the event here!