The Free Press community gathered Saturday, October 8 for the Second Saturday Salon. But it was a special salon event, as it doubled as the annual awards ceremony. This year, the Free Press honored Joe Motil with the 2022 "Libby" award for Lifetime Achievement in Community Activism.
The Free Press is published by the nonprofit Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism (CICJ). Mark Stansbery, board member, emceed the event, held in the lovely party room at Mozart's Cafe in Clintonville.
Mark introduced Esther Flores, the 2021 Free Press Libby award honoree, spoke about Libby Gregory, former Free Press editor and namesake of the annual award. Libby was a tireless activist and advocate for human rights, as is Esther, who manages 1DivineLine2Health, a local nonprofit that works with "street sisters."
Esther introduced Joe Motil and presented him with the award. Joe spoke about his activism and the issues he is passionate about that include affordable housing and the integrity of city government. He told how he had met Libby Gregory back in her store Tradewinds in the OSU campus area. Several others gave short talks to announce upcoming events and bills in Congress including Mary Jane Borden, Pat Marida, and Judge Terri Jamison.
Free Press cartoonist Clay Jones of Viriginia was a special guest, as he was in town for a conference. He entertained the audience of 40-50 people, and examples of his art were displayed in the room. Joe Motil, an accomplished jazz pianist, also played a bit on the piano to the delight of the crowd.
CICJ board member Winie Wirth expressed how she felt about the evening: "It was a peak experience for me. The degree of love and solidarity, the decades of shared purpose, the living saints and warriors among us, so many Elders. The narrative of the creation of history, the Witness: we, the circle of longtime friends, are the creators of alternative values of our community. The oratory prowess of the speakers! I've never seen Esther so happy-- she was feeling it too. I mean, how often do things come together in one room like that? The lack of food, space, music (oh! except for live Joe Motil lite jazz!), actually condensed and distilled the messages. And it wasn't just talking about how great we are (like so many organizational events!) but ended with a call to action for ongoing and continuing struggles. The continuing creation of social connectivity that is the antidote to the trauma of the culture of Capitalism. And other people were able to attend online, therefore inclusive of those with physical issues."
