Barbara Klimaszewski (Saginaw) receives the Lifetime Achievement Pride Award. She is a Saginaw criminal and civil rights attorney and has been active in the LGBT community for over 35 years. Throughout her career, Barb has fought for equality and civil rights for all people. When members of the LGBT community had no one to stand up for them, Klimaszewski provided representation. In 1976 she began the Underground Railroad, a place where battered women and their children could escape. Its formation marked the first free standing, emergency women’s shelter in Michigan. Barb is a long-time member of the ACLU, the Criminal Defense Association of Michigan and serves as an adviser to the Perceptions board. We honor Barb this award with all-embraced gratitude.
