The Hopkinsville Human Rights Commission celebrated local women Thursday, as they handed out scholarships and the 2025 Woman of the Year Award.
In an intimate ceremony held at Milkweed Health and Harmony Emporium, the HRC heard from their three scholarship awards winners, as they read their winning essays in front of an audience. Those winners were Rebecca Wood of Hopkinsville High School in first place, then second place went to Cari-Bella Fowler and third place was won by MaKyrah Sharber, both seniors at Christian County High School.  They were able to once again award three scholarships this year, thanks to the generosity of the community during their annual fundraising campaign.
Then, the 2025 Fannie B. Postell Woman of the Year Award went to Fannie Louise Maddux.
Maddux boasts of almost more accomplishments than we can list—she was the first woman to be elected to and then serve on the Christian County School Board during the 1960’s, which was a particularly challenging period, as the school system was trying to coordinate the city and county school systems and integrate the African-American school system into one. The system that was formed would become the Christian County Public Schools we know today.
Louise faced down numerous struggles as the first female board member, but that didn’t stop her, and in 1983, she became a founding member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, which continues to advocate for students and education to this day.
Maddux was unable to attend, so her son John accepted the award on her behalf. 

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