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| Rodney West |
Champion for Men and Children Award
Rodney West recently was awarded the Champion for Men and Children Award in Los Angeles, California at the recent NAEYC Annual Conference in November. The award goes to a man or woman who has made significant contributions to further efforts in increasing the number of men working with children. Rodney has been an advocate for young children for almost 40 years.
Rodney is currently serving on the CAEYC Board of Directors. He is the chairperson for Diversity in Action. In addition, he is a co-facilitator for Men in Child Care for National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Rodney West has presented workshops at the local, state and national AEYC conferences in reference to Men in Child Care and Diversity. He has previously been a mentor of a Rites of Passage program for young males. Rodney is currently an ordained elder with his Presbyterian congregation where he spearheads community outreach.
Rodney is an individual who continues to fight and advocate for justice on behalf of all young children and families. Making the world a better place than inherited is always the vision for Rodney. It is important that his daily walk aligns with his vision. He was given the name of Solwazi Anumattu by the Elders in his community a few years ago. His name means "He is Knowledge" and "He who walks in the way he talks." His favorite symbol is the ancient Sankofa bird that hovers the universe. Sankofa is destined to "Correct which has not been done." Rodney also concedes to the words of Marian Wright Edelman. “Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it."
