Award from local Jewish Community Relations Council is for decades of refugee education advocacy
MILWAUKEE — The Jewish Community Relations Council of Milwaukee Jewish Federation honored educator and community advocate Evelyn Price with its 2026 Robert H. Friebert Social Justice Award at the JCRC’s annual meeting on May 20.
Price, founder and director of the South East Asian Tutoring program and a former University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee professor, was recognized for her decades‑long commitment to expanding educational access for refugee and immigrant students in Milwaukee.
The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate courage, passion and leadership while working to eliminate discrimination and injustice in the greater Milwaukee area. Recipients need not be Jewish.
Price dedicated more than 30 years to Milwaukee Public Schools, teaching elementary, middle and high school students between 1970 and 2000, with a primary focus on English and reading at the middle school level. Her career coincided with the arrival of refugee families from Southeast Asia and other regions, shaping her lifelong advocacy for students navigating language barriers, trauma and cultural transition.
After retiring from MPS, Price continued her work at UWM, serving as an adjunct professor from 2000 to 2005 in curriculum and instruction and urban education. In 2006, she began organizing tutoring support through South East Asian Literacy, or SEAL, providing academic and life‑skills assistance to refugee students through high school.
Recognizing the need for continued support beyond K‑12 education, Price founded the College South East Asian Tutoring program in 2017. Through SEAT, she mentors primarily first‑generation Karen and Rohingya college students — many born in refugee camps — offering tutoring, guidance on financial aid and applications, and long‑term personal mentorship. Much of the work takes place in her own home.
According to students and family members, Price has never accepted compensation for her work. More than 15 of her students have completed undergraduate or nursing degrees, and others are currently enrolled in college. Graduates have gone on to careers in nursing, education, architecture, social work and other fields.
Price was nominated for the award by former students, including May June Paw, a 2022 UWM graduate who now works as a Head Start home visitor in Milwaukee. In her nomination letter, Paw described Price’s home as a place of belonging and support for students from multiple countries, cultures and religions.
The Robert H. Friebert Social Justice Award was created by Friebert’s family and friends to honor his legacy as a Milwaukee attorney, community leader and former president of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations. Friebert was known for advancing civil rights and social justice through law and public service, reflecting the Jewish value of tikkun olam, repairing the world through action.
The award was presented during the JCRC annual meeting, which also included the release of the 2025 Wisconsin Audit on Antisemitism and the election of JCRC board and council members.
Recent recipients of the Friebert Award include Anita Johnson in 2020, Judge Derek Mosley in 2022 and Darryl D. Morin in 2025.
Loading ...