Norman honors music educator Patty Drennan and awards Bria Clark, Women in Action for All

Norman — At its Dec. 9 meeting the Norman City Council recognized local leaders with the 2025 City of Norman Human Rights Awards and adopted a proclamation declaring December 2025 Universal Human Rights Month.

Council honored Patty Drennan with a separate resolution earlier in the meeting for her decades of service to music education; Drennan accepted the commendation and said, "It's been a true privilege and a joy to have so many students that have passed through my choirs." The council then awarded the 2025 individual Human Rights Award to Bria Clark, who served as mayor and a council member and has been active on inclusive‑community initiatives. Ayesha Ali, chair of the Norman Human Rights Commission, introduced Clark and the group awardee and emphasized the commission’s recent community engagement and plans for 2026.

Ali highlighted the commission’s work, noting Norman "became the first city in Oklahoma to sponsor Juneteenth Festival" and that the city created a nondiscrimination ordinance providing protections in employment, housing and public accommodations. Clark recalled several council actions during her tenure and said one of her lines at the 2016 proclamation was, "we will not cloak hate speech in free speech." She urged future council members to adopt a clear mission statement affirming that human rights matter every day in Norman.

The group Human Rights Award went to Women in Action for All, a local organization formed in 2016 that works on unhoused services, education, immigrant issues and get‑out‑the‑vote efforts; a representative, Rhonda Stock, accepted on the group’s behalf. Council approved both awards and the proclamation unanimously.

The council’s recognition and the proclamation are ceremonial actions; Mayor Holman and commissioners encouraged continued collaboration with the Human Rights Commission on policy and outreach in 2026.