The Beacon Awards

About the Event

The 2024 Beacon Awards took place on Thursday, January 18th at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter in South Boston.  Over 300 guests joined us to honor leaders in our community who have illuminated the path towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive profession.

Voice of Change Award

Angela Onwuachi-Willig
Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law at Boston University School

The first Black woman dean of a Top 20 law school, Dean Onwuachi-Willig is a renowned legal scholar and expert in critical race theory, employment discrimination, and family law. She is one of five Black women law deans who started the Law Deans Antiracist Clearinghouse Project, an invaluable resource for law deans, faculty, and the public to access resources and information in an effort to address systemic racism, which earned her the Association of American Law Schools inaugural Impact Award. In addition, she created the ASPIRE program, which serves as an anti-racist scholarship program that “provides a full tuition scholarship for all three years to a select number of students who have demonstrated a commitment to antiracism, social justice, and racial equity.”  As the nation’s first endowed chair in critical race theory, Dean Onwuachi-Willig was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences this past spring. Read her full biography.

The Voice of Change Award is presented annually to a luminary leader in the legal community who has forged a new path and has played an extensive role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the profession.

Empowerment Award

YW Boston and
Beth Chandler, President & CEO

Beth Chandler currently serves as the President and CEO of YW Boston, the pioneering YWCA in the nation and a leader in championing equity for over 150 years. Their impactful DEI Services, exemplified by initiatives like InclusionBoston and LeadBoston, coupled with dedicated advocacy work and the transformative F.Y.R.E. Initiative, empower individuals and organizations to instigate positive changes in policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors. Their overarching mission is to cultivate inclusive environments where success is not just a goal but a reality, with a particular emphasis on empowering women, people of color, and especially women of color.

Prior to her role at YW Boston, Beth served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Massachusetts Service Alliance, where she oversaw the administration of AmeriCorps programs, and Executive Director of the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development, where she led efforts to promote affordable housing and economic stability for women and families.

The Empowerment Award is given each year to a powerful advocate who works to create systemic change in the wider community by amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups and advancing civil rights, access to justice, and/or DEI.

Corporate Champion Award

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

The Corporate Champion Award will be presented to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Part of the U.S. Central Bank, the Boston Fed pursues its vision of a vibrant economy that works for all, and values diverse backgrounds and perspectives in doing so – including on its board of directors and senior leadership team.

A focus on economic inclusion, participation, and opportunity runs through the bank’s work, which ranges from monetary policy to payments technology to bank supervision. Its community development activities include highlighting the extent and significance of racial wealth inequality in Boston and New England and supporting accessible economic growth for gateway cities and rural communities, and opportunity for low- and moderate-income households.

Recent key initiatives undertaken by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston include integrating DEI efforts across the organization through training and events; promoting a culture of listening with enhanced engagement surveys and communication strategies; supporting a wide range of employee resource groups; and regularly reviewing compensation structures to ensure equitable pay practices.

Additionally, 2022 marked eight years in a row that the Bank was recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” as part of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index.

The Corporate Champion Award is given each year to a company that has been a leader in internal or external projects and practices that promote a more inclusive legal profession or community.