FILE - LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, gives a speech on voting rights at the John Lewis Advancement Act Day of Action, a voter education and engagement event on May 8, 2021, in front of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Ala. Brown and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will receive the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award in May, the nation’s oldest women’s foundation announced Monday, April 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)

NEW YORK (AP) —

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown will receive the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award in May, the nation’s oldest women’s foundation announced Monday.

The awards will be handed out at the Ms. Foundation’s annual gala on May 16 at New York City’s Ziegfeld Ballroom, part of its 50th anniversary celebration where funds raised will go toward the organization’s equity-centered initiatives.

The foundation will also honor Wanda Irving, co-founder of Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project, and Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of URGE, as well as emerging leaders abortion rights activist Olivia Julianna and LGBTQ+ advocate Rebekah Bruesehoff.

“Meghan, LaTosha, Wanda, Kimberly, Olivia, and Rebekah are incredible leaders,” Teresa C. Younger, Ms. Foundation president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are grateful to be able to shine a light on their many accomplishments and tireless work on behalf of gender and racial equity across the country and the world.”

Meghan will receive the award for “her global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls” from Gloria Steinem, Ms. Foundation co-founder. With her husband, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan directs their philanthropy through their Archewell Foundation.

According to its 2022 annual report, the organization provided 12.66 million COVID-19 vaccines with partner Global Citizen and helped resettle nearly 175,000 refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan in the United States with partner Welcome.US. The foundation also helped build a community play space in Uvalde, Texas, following the school shooting there that killed 19 children and two teachers.

Brown will receive her award for “her tireless activism and work to bring about social change” through Black Voters Matter, which works with communities to make their voting more effective. According to the group's most recent impact report, the Black Voters Matter Fund now works with more than 400 partners in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute funds voter education, registrations and other programs to expand access to voting.

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