A Flagstaff Man Is Being Honored With The JFK Profile In Courage Award

Two Arizonans are being honored with the JFK Profile in Courage Award, with one of the two being from Flagstaff. Darrell Marks is the Native American Academic Advisor at Flagstaff High School. Marks is Navajo and is a single parent of two teenage sons. He has coordinated deliveries of food and supplies to Navajo and Hopi families struggling during the pandemic. He also advocated for voting rights for Native Americans and has worked to provide access to remote learning opportunities in tribal areas made even more isolated by COVID-19. Marks also served as a personal counselor and resource to students struggling with loss and depression. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation created the “John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award” in 1989 to honor President Kennedy’s commitment and contribution to public service. The award is presented annually to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. Marks joins nurse Lauren Leander in the honor. Leander, who is the daughter of Suns broadcaster Tom Leander, and two other nurses, stood silently at the State Capitol last April while many angry protesters yelled in her face, unmasked and at close range. She is an ICU nurse who cared for critically ill COVID patients and has helped raise over $286-thousand that was used for PPE, medical supplies and other resources for Navajo and Hopi frontline nurses. They will be honored by Caroline Kennedy at a ceremony later this month.