Karen Hawkins was the recipient of the 2018 NLGJA Jeanne Córdova Award. She is the Founder and Rebelle in Chief of Rebellious Magazine for Women. She is an award-winning reporter and editor whose journalism background includes positions with The Associated Press, the Windy City Times, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post. She is also the former director of communications for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Karen wants to thank her former boss for naming the online magazine she’s always wanted to start when he called her “Rebellious” for taking too many weekends off. When she isn’t instigating a media Rebellion, she’s thanking her lucky starlets she gets to do whatever she wants on weekends.
“Karen Hawkins is a thoughtful and dedicated news leader who has created a go-to publication that captures the feminist perspective on an incredible number of important topics that impact women and the LGBTQ community. Everything she does with the magazine is meant to empower us. When the publication writes about President Donald Trump’s policy to separate children from their families at U.S. borders, she also offers a smart resistance guide giving readers steps on how they can fight the policy of zero tolerance. The publication’s profiles of the women who run popular restaurants and successful businesses are inspiring. Its queer-focused sex column gives advice readers won’t find elsewhere. And she creates true community producing events like Rebellious Magazine’s regular feminist freelancer coworking and cocktails gathering and the Red & Wild Feminist Prom Fundraiser. Karen is also dedicated to hiring and supporting queer women throughout the industry. I know I personally am inspired by all that she does for the industry and for our community.” − Jen Christensen, NLGJA President
