Anthony Walker Memorial Prize, named after the black Liverpool Christian school boy who was murdered in an apparent racist attack in July.
Female DJ Gemma Gibson, who runs Radio Sassyfm, "particularly impressed the judges because of the way she has overcome a difficult upbringing and has used those experiences to be a force for good in her community," according to jury remarks obtained by BosNewsLife.
"I am overwhelmed. It is not pride so much as feeling appreciative and honoured. I just thank God for living in me and for leading me to the places he feels he needs me to be," she said. The Sassyfm playlist is selected carefully, with songs which glorify crime or ill treating women strictly off limits.
"One reformed bad boy, rapper R-9, was so affected by Sassy’s message that he changed his ways. R-9 keeps the message alive in his track – They Made Me Do It – which is about not giving in to peer pressure…," said the Evangelical Alliance United Kingdom (EAUK), a platform of over one million evangelical Christians in the UK, that co-organized the ceremony at Westminster Church House in London.
MOTHER PRESENT
Anthony Walker’s mother, Gee Walker, presented the Memorial award, a glass trophy, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who also handed out the individual Champions of Respect awards to the winners of the three age categories. The awards were created to honor youngsters helping needy people.
Anthony Walker said she felt it was "an honour to be Anthony’s mother" and urged the young people present not to be afraid of being recognised for doing something worthwhile.
Lauren Taylor, 10, from Bridgend in South Wales, was the winner in the under 11s age category for "the way she encouraged her neighbors by writing to them about her faith in God. She was also commended for going on a sponsored fast to raise money for a local cancer victim."
Abbi Morrall, 13, from Hinckley in Leicestershire won in the 12– 16 age category for her work as an anti-bullying campaigner. Gemma Gibson, the overall winner, also won the Champion of Respect Award in the 17 – 25 age category, organizers said. The runner-up in her section was Caroline Lockley, 21, from Bedfordshire, for her voluntary work in orphanages in Uganda and India.
TEMPLE ADDRESS
The awards ceremony was part of the EAUK’s fifth annual Temple Address, an event which seeks to give a Christian perspective on a particular issue currently facing society.
"We are in danger of the word respect becoming the new catchphrase of this Government, said Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance in remarks to BosNewsLife. We challenge the Prime Minister to ensure legislation aids greater respect and that ministers work on the causes and not just the effects of anti-social behavior."
He noted that "Anthony Walker was a remarkable young man who epitomized what it means to be a champion of respect." Anthony was very active within the Liverpool Grace Family Church before he was killed in an axe attack by a gang at a park in the Huyton area of Liverpool, police said. He was 18 when he died.
RESPECT AND SELF-RESPECT
In his speech, Archbishop Williams, suggested that the violence has underscored the need to talk about respect and young people during his Evangelical Alliance’s Temple Address on ‘Becoming Trustworthy: Respect and Self-Respect.’
Thursday’s meeting came just hours after what EAUK described as "the largest gathering of Church and Christian leaders at a Hope for London prayer breakfast", an event where church leaders pray for the British capital
Up to 250 leaders attended this special meeting which focused on the theme of ‘Unity’. It also addressed the significance of London in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings which killed 52 people and the 2012 Olympics, organizers added. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from the United Kingdom).
