Organizers of January’s Many and One rally are being recognized by a state social justice group.

Mark Schlotterbeck and Fatuma Hussein will accept a 2003 Watering Can Award from Maine Initiatives at an awards ceremony in Woolwich Thursday night.

Schlotterbeck and Hussein were both a part of the Many and One Coalition, the group that organized the diversity rally in Lewiston Jan. 11. Several thousand attended the rally, designed to counter white supremacists meeting across town.

Dozens of Lewiston activists helped organize the rally. Schlotterbeck, the city missionary at Calvary United Methodist Church in Lewiston, said the award honors everyone involved.

“Anyone that was involved could have accepted this award,” Schlotterbeck said. “It was a community effort.”

Maine Initiatives presents the awards each year to honor individuals or groups that have helped shape Maine’s social fabrics. The organization presents grants, education and services and technical help to social justice activists around the state.

The group is also honoring Wayne philanthropists Lincoln and Gloria Ladd and Donald Soctomah, former Passamaquoddy tribal representative to the state Legislature.

staylor@sunjournal.com