POOR PEOPLE'S ARMY FOUNDER CHERI HONKALA TO RECEIVE PHILADELPHIA FAIR HOUSING AWARD
POOR PEOPLE’S ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN / POOR PEOPLE’S ARMY Press Release
For immediate release Press Contact: Galen Tyler, 215-869-4753 PPEHRCorg@gmail.com
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) will be presenting Poor People’s Army founder Cheri Honkala with the David T. Rammler Fair Housing Award on Thursday, Oct. 16 during the annual Social Justice Awards Luncheon at the Parkway Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Honkala is one of several Awardees this year, which include community activists, entrepreneurs, elected officials, and members of law enforcement or public safety.
Honkala is a longtime local human rights advocate who fought for decades to ensure housing rights for all. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Honkala formed and led the Twin Cities anti-poverty groups Women, Work and Welfare and Up and Out of Poverty Now. She moved to Philadelphia in the 1990s and formed the nationally renowned Kensington Welfare Rights Union. After leading a national bus tour that documented human rights abuses across the country, Honkala launched the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC), also known as Poor People’s Army. After three decades, Poor People’s Army continues to operate nationally, with headquarters in Philadelphia.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the Human Relations Commission with the David Rammler Award, named after a much-loved attorney with whom we worked closely,” says Honkala said. “Leading a life dedicated to organizing and uplifting poor people is crucial now more than ever, and it’s often thankless work. ,” Honkala continued. “For myself and members of Poor People’s Army, we thank the commission for this honor.”
PCHR’s mission is to ensure that everyone in Philadelphia has equal rights and opportunities.
“We are committed to celebrating and recognizing individuals whose dedication and achievements in civil and human rights inspire real change,” PCHR Director Renee Chenault-Fattah wrote in a letter to Honkala.
Honkala has been recognized with several awards and honors, including Philadelphia Magazine’s list of 100 Most Powerful Philadelphians, Philadelphia Weekly’s Woman of the Year, Ms. Magazine’s Woman of the Year, Mother Jones magazine Hellraiser of the Month, Bread and Roses Human Rights Award, Public Citizen of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Social Workers, the prestigious Letelier-Moffitt Award from the Washington Institute for Policy Studies, and last month she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin chapter of All of Us or None.
About Poor People’s Army:
For three decades, Poor People’s Army has been organizing poor and homeless people by “reclaiming the basic necessities of life” with free food distribution and housing takeovers of abandoned government-owned properties. They led marches on the 2024 Republican and Democratic National Conventions and released the book, Takeover! A Human Rights Approach to Housing. https://www.poorpeoplesarmy.org/
# # #
