Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas Announces Vermont’s John Lewis Youth Leadership Award Recipients

February 05 2024

Montpelier, VT – In partnership with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas awarded two Vermont youth leaders with the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award. The national award recognizes those 25 years or younger who have demonstrated leadership abilities, have a passion for social justice, and are motivated to improve the quality of life in their community. Secretary Copeland Hanzas was proud to present the award as a surprise alongside Andrew McKeever of Greater Northshire Access Television (GNAT) during a live taping of a civics roundtable discussion.

Vermont’s 2023 recipients of the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award are:

• Addie Lentzner, Founder and Executive Director of the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network and Senior Fellow for Our Turn, a youth-led education equity movement.
• Chris Alfano, founder of Civicly, a smartphone app that provides free, engaging, high quality civics education.

“I’m thrilled to honor these two exceptional young people who are making a difference in Vermont as well as at the national level,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “I was particularly excited to give this award in honor of John Lewis at the start of Black History Month. Representative Lewis is often remembered for his legacy as a venerable statesman, but I reminded Addie and Chris that as a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 60’s, he began his career as a youth leader as well. I’m looking forward to more great things from these young Vermonters!”

Addie Lentzner is a first-year student at Middlebury College. She grew up in the Bennington area and identifies as a youth activist and advocate. Addie first got involved advocating for policies to support populations experiencing homelessness. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network, a project that she initiated in response to the death of George Floyd. The group worked with principals, guidance counselors, teachers, and librarians across the state to provide more resources on racism at schools and develop a curriculum that members of the network teach to other young learners via Zoom. Addie serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors at the Bennington County Coalition and as an Executive Fellow for Our Turn, a youth-led movement working to dismantle the structures that limit access to quality education. 

"I am honored to receive this award from Secretary Copeland Hanzas in honor of John Lewis, both of whom are activists I admire greatly,” said Lentzner “I can't wait to continue the work I'm doing to make Vermont a better place on anti-racism, ending homelessness, and promoting youth voice."

Chris Alfano, a senior at Burr and Burton Academy, has shown a real passion for civic education. He is the founder of Civicly, a smartphone app that offers guided learning about civics, focused on founding documents. He was inspired to create an app that would help Americans increase their civic awareness following the January 6 attack at the US Capitol and hopes to continue expanding its offerings so that it can be easily used in classroom settings. Chris also participated as a Civics Innovation Fellow through Civics Unplugged and as a Legislative Intern for Vermont State Representative Mike Rice.

 “I am honored to receive this award and optimistic about the future of democracy in Vermont and America,” said Alfano. “I'm convinced that young people in our state can make a difference not in spite of our age, but because of it. I hope every Vermonter, regardless of age, feels empowered to engage with our political system and make change.” 

About the NASS John Lewis Youth Leadership Award 

The John Lewis Youth Leadership Award was established in 2021 by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). The award honors the extraordinary accomplishments of Congressman John Lewis. 

His courageous achievements during the Civil Rights Movement and his long tenure of public service have inspired and will continue to inspire Americans for generations to come. In 1961, at the age of 21, Lewis was one of the original thirteen Freedom Riders. In 1963, Lewis was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington and one of the “Big Six” leaders that organized the march. In 1965, Lewis helped lead the Selma to Montgomery marches. The first march became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement when unarmed marchers were attacked by state troopers as they crossed Edmund Pettus Bridge. Lewis’ activism continued throughout his life. He served as a U.S. Congressman for 33 years until his death in 2020.