My mother and I went down to Washington to attend the Petra Foundation awards dinner on Saturday night. The Petra Foundation is best described as an organization that facilitates and supports individuals who work on behalf of “the rights, dignity and autonomy of others.”

Part of what the foundation does is honor (and reward) unsung and under-financed individuals and grass roots organizations, that help the abused, the incarcerated, the marginalized, the underrepresented and the poor in the United States. A group of “Petra fellows”  are selected each year (from a long list of nominees) and honored for the work they do.

But that’s not all. Since its founding in 1988, Petra has created a growing leadership network of fellows that helps to connect them to each other and others involved in the battle for human rights in this country.

In a sense, the Petra Foundation is a nurturing community that helps sustain, renew, connect and mentor those who work tirelessly on behalf of others. They help the helpers and make it possible for them to carry on with resources and support (and access to allies, advocates and policy makers) that might not otherwise be available to them.

Last night Petra honored Brooklyn’s Anuradha Bhagwati who runs the Service Women’s Action Network, a group that addresses the abuses suffered by servicewomen and female veterans; Carrie Ann Lucas, an advocate for the disabled; Maria Jimenz, who is considered “the go-to person for strategic advice before engaging in an immigrants’ rights battle”; and Wahleah Johns of the Black Mesa Water Coalition, which advocates for a “prosperous, green and transparently governed Navajo Nation.”

Van Jones, who briefly served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House, was the keynote speaker at the awards event. He’s a fabulous communicator, who uses humor and a great performance style to tell his story about his work as a clean energy advocate, civil rights activist and lawyer. The co-founder of three non-profits and and the author The Green-Collar Economy, he left the crowd energized and electrified.

In the past, Petra has recognized others from Brooklyn, including Aaron Zimmerman of the New York Writers Coalition, Ian Marvey and Michael Hurwitz of Added Value in Red Hook and Ninaj Raoul of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees.

For a full list of the fellows and to learn more about the work of the Petra Foundation:  check out their website.